Los Angeles, Calif. – Mario Alberto Miranda, alias “Ultimo,” “Last,” and “Shot Caller,” 32, of Sherman Oaks, has been sentenced to 16 years in federal prison for his role in the illegal activities of the Vineland Boys street gang. Miranda was the principal defendant in a massive indictment involving 31 members and associates of the gang centered in the San Fernando Valley.
Miranda plotted with other gang members from September 2008 to November 2019 to engage in narcotics trafficking and preserve the organization’s territorial dominance in the San Fernando Valley.
He worked as a drug supplier, selling drugs within the gang’s territory, ran drug and gun stashes, and extorted drug dealers under the gang’s authority.
Miranda, the gang’s “shot caller,” directed members to assault rival gangs and those suspected of cooperating with authorities.
He sold methamphetamine from his Pacoima home and a clothing store he owned in North Hollywood. Miranda sold 1.2 kilos of methamphetamine to a single person in eight instances.
Miranda also operated illegal marijuana grow homes in Pacoima and Palmdale, where she kept at least 125 marijuana plants weighing around 315 pounds.
He collected a “tax” on a gang member’s heroin sales in 2014 and was active in collecting payments from gang members to help Vineland Boys members and leaders who were incarcerated.
Miranda pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to violate the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO) and one count of conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine on June 26. He has been imprisoned since February of this year.
In this case, federal prosecutors obtained 30 guilty pleas, resulting in at least 19 prison sentences of ten years or more. Jesus Gonzalez Jr., a member of the Vineland Boys gang, is serving a 31-year sentence for several charges, including attempted murder. Another defendant died shortly after being charged.