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Posted: Tuesday, 30 June 2009 12:10PM
Oswego man convicted in Mother's Day shooting
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A federal jury has found that a 33-year-old Oswego man did pull the trigger in a Mother's Day 2003 shooting, making him eligible for a life sentence.
Late Monday afternoon, a jury decided that prosecutors had proved that Steven Perez was the shooter in the Mother's Day shooting that injured one man. The jury also ruled that Perez was involved in the January 2002 attempted murder of two men.
After less than six hours of deliberation, the jury convicted Perez of racketeering charges Friday at the Dirksen Federal Building in Chicago.
Prosecutors then asked the jury to determine whether Perez was personally involved in seven attempted murders.
Prosecutors say Perez committed six attempted murders between January 2002 and August 2003, as well as a seventh shooting in August 1995. All of those shootings were committed as part of a war with rival gangs and showed an organized criminal operation, prosecutors said.
Defense attorney Herb Hill argued that prosecutors overstepped their authority, relying on witnesses who could not be believed. But the jurors apparently found enough corroborating evidence to convict Perez.
In the Mother's Day 2003 shooting, 29 shots were fired into an Aurora house. One man was hit in the shoulder, but no one was killed. The target of that shooting was the family of Orlando Rivera, who became the main witness in the federal trial. Rivera secretly recorded gang meetings and conversations, which prosecutors used to indict the 16 men.
Five of the men originally charged have been sentenced to life in prison. Others are still awaiting sentencing. One gang member pleaded guilty and agreed to cooperate with prosecutors.
Prosecutors say the Insane Deuces gang conspired to commit three murders, several attempted murders and more than $1 million in drug trafficking.
One other former gang member charged by the feds, Miguel Martinez, is still at large. Anyone with information on his whereabouts should contact the U.S. Marshals Service at 877-WANTED2, or 877-926-8332.
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Copyright 2009 STNG Wire, The Chicago Sun-Times. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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