After taking part in a major multi-agency investigation, two special agents in CDCR’s Office of Correctional Safety, Special Service Unit (SSU), were recognized at the 22nd annual United States Attorney’s Office (USAO) Law Enforcement Awards ceremony.
The award recognized Felipe Alvarez and Salvador Rojas for participating in the case. Investigators found the main suspect, gang leader Luis Ramirez — who was serving life with the possibility of parole for three murders — coordinated extortion of Riverside businesses and a kidnapping from prison.
The agents played key roles in securing the conviction of Ramirez.
What are the awards? The USAO awards were created to honor the law enforcement officers and agency employees across the Central District of California. They are recognized for their outstanding investigative work and support of the USAO’s prosecutorial mission.
Through Alvarez and Rojas’ investigative work in collaboration with the FBI and local law enforcement agencies, which included obtaining vital evidence from California State Prison-Solano, agents executed a search warrant at a Westside Riva hangout operating as an illicit casino.
Westside Riva, a Jurupa Valley-based street gang, engaged in a variety of racketeering activities including extorting local businesses for the payment of “taxes” for permission to operate within areas the gang claimed as its territory.
Searches of the location and digital devices revealed Westside Riva schemes involving extortion, kidnapping, illegal gambling and drug dealing. They also planned to extort women into creating content for a gang-sponsored OnlyFans account.
All charged defendants have been convicted and sentenced. Ramirez received a federal sentence consecutive to his current life sentence in state prison.
As special agents with SSU, the main investigative branch for CDCR, Alvarez and Rojas have multifaceted roles. Being flexible is not only recommended, but required.
“Anything that’s connected to CDCR, whether it’s a current or formerly incarcerated person, or supervised person, ties into how we work,” Alvarez said. “Our job is to know who is involved in the streets and how we can assist local law enforcement.”
Alvarez and Rojas focus on gang management and suppression in the streets. They also serve as liaisons to every law enforcement agency in Southern California.
They are currently assigned as Task Force Officers with the FBI’s Inland Empire Safe Street Task Force.
“On any given day, we may need to pivot our priorities to accomplish the mission at hand. I consider myself fortunate for having the opportunity to work as an SSU special agent. In many law enforcement circles, (it) is considered one of the top state law enforcement units,” Rojas said.
Decades of investigative experience
Alvarez, who has been with CDCR for 27 years, started at Ironwood State Prison. While there, he served as a Crisis Response Team (CRT) commander for 13 years.
As an Investigative Gang Lieutenant from 2014 to 2018, Alvarez was responsible for the coordination of intelligence relative to drug/contraband, organized crime, and prison and street Security Threat Group activity as it related to the prison.
At Ironwood, Alvarez served as the liaison between the institution and other agencies throughout the criminal justice network. He helped facilitate the exchange of information, briefing appropriate staff on new developments and activities involving drug/contraband activity.
“I coordinated and directed investigations and referral of all suspected criminal violations and misconduct involving incarcerated persons, visitors, and employees,” he said.
In 2018, he joined the SSU, which he said was a pinnacle in his career.
Rojas, who has been with CDCR for about three years, took another path. He joined SSU from an outside agency, after having approximately 20 years of investigative experience, most recently as a special agent with the California Department of Justice.
Rojas started his career with the California Youth Authority in 2000. In 2004, he left the youth authority to be a state investigator and has been conducting investigations ever since. “Obtaining this position is highly competitive and is considered an accomplishment, making this position a career destination within CDCR, and in my case, outside CDCR,” he said.
Rojas noted special recognition should be given to the California State Prison-Solano Investigative Services Unit and particularly to Officer C. Guereca, whose assistance was invaluable to this investigation, he said.
Story by Mary Xjimenez, information officer II
Office of Public and Employee Communications
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