Public Enemy No. 1 (street gang)

For other uses, see Public Enemy No. 1.
Public Enemy No.1
Founding location Long Beach, California, U.S.
Years active 1986-present
Territory California, Victoria, Arizona, Idaho and Nevada
Ethnicity White
Criminal activities Drug trafficking, arms trafficking, identity theft, murder, dog fighting
Allies Aryan Brotherhood, Nazi Low Riders, Mexican Mafia, Ku Klux Klan, Sinaloa Cartel
Rivals Crips, Bloods, Black Guerrilla Family, MS-13, Nuestra Familia, Norteños, Skinheads Against Racial Prejudice, Friends Stand United, Anti-Racist Action, Folk Nation, People Nation

Public Enemy No. 1 (abbreviated as PEN1) is a white supremacist street gang based in Southern California, United States. The California Department of Justice in 2004 described it as "one of the most powerful and fastest-growing gangs inside and outside prison"[1] and said it had about 200 members statewide. Its main activities include identity theft, credit card fraud and methamphetamine sales.[2]

History

The formation of the group was greatly influenced by members in the hardcore punk rock scene in Long Beach, California during the 1980s.[3] However, by the 1990s, PEN1’s base of operations in Orange County where they began recruiting suburban adolescents.[3] They have ties to the prison gangs.[2]

Identity theft

PEN1 is heavily involved in identity theft, not a crime usually associated with gangs; most of the income from this is allegedly used to finance methamphetamine sale and other operations. Originally they did this by raiding mailboxes and trash cans for personal information, but the gang later used contacts inside of banks, mortgage companies and state motor vehicle departments in order to gain access to credit profiles. This has led to law enforcement officials requesting that their personal information be removed so that it can't be used by gang members to identify home addresses of police officers.[3]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Racist gang caught in sting kept a list of Orange County police targets", San Diego Union-Tribune, December 17, 2006
  2. 1 2 "Hit list led to wave of O.C. arrests", Los Angeles Times, December 16, 2006
  3. 1 2 3 "Alliance adds to gang's clout: Public Enemy No. 1 rumored though not true to be teaming with Aryan Brotherhood", Associated Press, cited by San Diego Union-Tribune, March 4, 2007

External links

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