3 charged with recruiting juveniles into gang

MAGNA — A long-term investigation by the Salt Lake County Sheriff's Office focusing on juveniles being recruited into gangs has resulted in criminal charges against three people.

Abel Lara-Lopez, 19, of Kearns, Cesar Moises Santillan-Rodriguez, 18, of Magna and Victor Manuel Santillan-Rodriguez, 20, of Magna, were charged Monday in 3rd District Court with between 19 and 26 charges each, including criminal solicitation, soliciting a minor to join a gang, drug distribution and weapons offenses.

According to charging documents, detectives from the sheriff's office "have been conducting a long-term investigation into … (a) criminal street gang for recruiting juvenile members to the gang, being involved in 'putting on' new members, and encouraging members, including juveniles, to be involved in criminal activities, including assaults, drug use and distribution, unlawful weapons possession, and graffiti, all of which would directly or indirectly benefit the criminal gang, in Salt Lake County."

The Utah Legislature last year passed a law that makes soliciting, recruiting, enticing or intimidating a minor to join a gang a third-degree felony if the recruiter is over the age of 18. Monday's indictment marks the first time the Salt Lake County Attorney's Office has filed gang recruitment charges.

The investigation into this gang revealed that Victor Santillan-Rodriguez was the "shot caller" and Lara-Lopez was the "second in command," the charges state.

Investigators served search warrants on several social media accounts and found pictures and videos of the men involved in drug distribution and, in some videos, holding guns at the same time, according to the charges. Detectives reviewing data from multiple Instagram accounts also found a group chat that talked about "little homies" or the gang's juvenile recruits. Prosecutors say the chats are evidence that adult gang members "were actively recruiting juvenile individuals to become members of the ... street gang," the charges state.

Some of the messages included instructing juvenile recruits to "engage in fights" with rival gang members, arrange gun sales, burglarize and steal vehicles, and "engage in property damage by spray painting graffiti" of the gang's name to "strike up ... everywhere." Investigators say "this conduct demonstrated that the juvenile recruits attempted to follow the encouragement of Lara-Lopez, C. Santillan-Rodriguez, and V. Santillan-Rodriguez regarding putting in work for the gang for membership," according to the charges.

In one conversation, the defendants encouraged four juveniles to fight rival gang members and even arranged transportation for them to get to the fight, according to investigators. The messages included phrases like, "win lose or draw y'all fight together and keep it solid for each other," "no running or ranking it," and "y'all got poles too if anything," the charges state.

Police say "poles" is slang for guns.

The defendants instruct a 17-year-old boy in another conversation to steal a car, according to the charges. The teen cautions Cesar Santillan-Rodriguez, "if they want, they could really ... try me as an adult." But Santillan-Rodriguez responds by telling the teen: "Car charges as a minor is a slap on the wrist if u ain't been locked up multiple times," the charges state.

When the three men were arrested, court documents say investigators found drugs and guns in each of their rooms, the charges state.

"Gang activity continues to present a substantial and growing public safety threat in Utah. The Utah Statewide Information and Analysis Center Organized Crime Threat Assessment (2024) assessed with 'high confidence' that the gang threat will remain substantial due to the glamorization of gang culture, recruitment efforts, the young age of gang members, attempts to gain street credibility, and the continued demand for illicit drugs and firearms," prosecutors warned in their charging documents.

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