I had to laugh when I saw Alfredo Amezcua’s latest frantic email newsletter, which arrived in my in-box today. In it he stated that “We deserve a safer city.” I guess Amezcua forgot what he does for a living.
According to the California State Bar, Amezcua is a criminal defense lawyer. He also appears to handle family law. There is no mention of other specialties on his State Bar page.
Amezcua has made a living for over twenty years getting gang bangers, drug dealers, and sexual deviants out of jail. Now don’t get me wrong, they are entitled to a defense. However, how can he cry about public safety when he has been undermining public safety throughout his long career?
A friend of mine has heard Amezcua describe himself as a former gang member. He is said to have been the top lawyer for the head of the Mexican Mafia, Peter “Sana” Ojeda. In fact the L.A. Times identified Amezcua as an adviser for the United Gangs Council, in a 1993 article that also mentioned that Ojeda was a leader of this organization.
Ojeda was later arrested for allegedly taxing drug dealers. And then he was “sentenced to 14 years in federal prison after pleading guilty earlier this year to violating federal racketeering and narcotics laws,” according to an online news report.
Amezcua was also mentioned in another L.A. Times article in 1992, when another Urgan Gangs Council leader, Art Romo, was arrested, for alleged money laundering. In that article Amezcua was referred to as their “unofficial legal and political adviser.”
Ironically, Amezcua later served on the now-defunct Santa Ana EPIC Commission, which was essentially a gang commission. According to insiders he wanted to spend six figures to find out what gang members think of the SAPD. Any SAPD officer could tell you the answer to that query…
Amezcua’s silly campaign newsletter says we need to “eradicate violent crime, rampant graffiti, and gang violence.” That’s great, but if we do that how will Amezcua make a living?
I have a feeling Amezcua won’t be getting the Santa Ana Police Officers Association endorsment.