Mafia Boss’s Secretary Sentenced in Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA: A woman from La Verne has been sentenced to 85 months in federal prison for her involvement with an imprisoned Mexican Mafia leader who controlled Latino gangs in Pomona. Her role included assisting in an armed robbery and shooting, as well as the distribution of narcotics and extortion.
Kelly Deshannon, 42, received a sentence from United States District Judge George H. Wu.
In July 2023, after a five-day trial, Deshannon was found guilty by a federal jury. The charges included conspiracy to violate the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organisations (RICO) Act, committing a violent crime in support of racketeering activity (VICAR), and using a firearm in furtherance of a violent crime.
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Deshannon worked as a secretary for Seferino Gonzalez, a prominent figure in the Michael Lerma Cell of the Mexican Mafia who was incarcerated. From behind bars, Gonzalez maintained a tight grip on Latino gangs, overseeing illicit activities such as drug trafficking and other criminal offenses in Pomona.
Deshannon, in her role as a secretary, played a part in an incident involving an attempted armed robbery of car keys to a Mercedes-Benz SUV on July 14, 2013. Unfortunately, this incident resulted in the shooting of a victim. Deshannon was aware of the address of the victims, and their possession of the car keys, and had engaged in conversation with them.
During the incident, Deshannon led the shooter and other individuals to the location of the victims and identified one of them as her associate. The victim managed to survive the attack despite sustaining injuries.
Deshannon was involved in various illegal activities, such as facilitating drug sales and enforcing exorbitant taxes in Lerma Cell’s territory.
Lerma, the primary defendant in this case, was indicted in 2018 and maintains his innocence of RICO conspiracy and various other federal charges. The trial has been set for July 23. He has been taken into federal custody.