A Los Angeles-area man described as a “shotcaller" or high-level member of the Mexican Mafia prison gang was sentenced Monday to life plus 30 years in federal prison for racketeering, violence and drug crimes.
Forty-one-year-old Jose Loza of Whittier was sentenced for allegedly overseeing Mexican Mafia control over street gangs in Whittier, Santa Fe Springs, Riverside and Stockton. Prosecutors say Loza, acting on the orders of an imprisoned Mexican Mafia leader, collected taxes on drug-dealing and other activities by the gangs.
Prosecutors also alleged that Loza killed a fellow Mexican Mafia member who was believed to have encroached on the territories of other members. The man was shot to death at a San Gabriel Valley restaurant in 2016. The victim's bodyguard and an innocent restaurant patron were wounded.
Loza's accomplice in the killing, 25-year-old Leonardo Antolin of Whittier, pleaded guilty to five felonies and is serving 40 years in prison.
Loza was convicted last month of a dozen felonies, including racketeering conspiracy and using a firearm during a crime of violence.
