Date of publication: January 15, 2026, 04:35h.
Last updated on: January 15, 2026, 04:35h.
- Gang leader programmed gambling and extortion activities from jail.
- Kidnapping executed after cash was confiscated during a traffic stop.
- Judge mandated a nine-year federal sentence to run consecutively with an ongoing life imprisonment.
A prominent figure of the Westside Riva (WSR) street gang in Southern California, who orchestrated unlawful gambling and extortion from behind bars, has been sentenced to nine years for directing the kidnapping of a woman.
Luis Ramirez, currently serving a life term for attempted murder committed at age 18 in 1995, managed his gang’s operations using a smuggled cellphone, as outlined by federal prosecutors.
Based in Jurupa Valley, Riverside County, this gang extorted local businesses for “protection money” while also engaging in illegal gambling activities.
Threats via Social Media
Using a contraband cellphone, Ramirez arranged for the kidnapping of a woman after $7,000 in extortion proceeds she was transporting were seized during a police traffic stop.
The victim, dubbed “Person 1” in legal documents, was abducted by two gang associates, Jose Jonathan Rubalcaba Alarcon, 23, and Gilbert Rey Martinez, 22, on September 27, 2023.
Ramirez instructed his cohorts to “handle her grimy,” according to court documents. Person 1 later explained that Ramirez intended for her to perform sexual acts on an OnlyFans account to repay the debt.
She was confined in a gang-affiliated clothing store in Riverside for four to five days without adequate food. Ultimately, Person 1 managed to escape on October 1, 2023, after being left unattended. Alarcon later stated that he released her out of pity.
“Person 1 suffered malnutrition, was deprived of essential medication, endured physical abuse from Martinez, experienced emotional trauma, and was admitted to a hospital after her escape,” prosecutors claimed.
Ramirez Labeled ‘Evil’
In July 2025, Ramirez pleaded guilty to a charge of violent crime aiding racketeering. This past Tuesday, US District Judge Stanley Blumenfeld Jr mandated that his nine-year federal sentence run consecutively with his existing life imprisonment.
Both Alarcon and Martinez pleaded guilty to their respective federal charges, receiving sentences of 46 months and 41 months, respectively.
“That guy is pure evil,” Alarcon remarked to an FBI agent about Ramirez, according to an affidavit. “I thought I was bad; I learned the hard way he doesn’t care about anyone, being a lifer.”