Jose Landa-Rodriguez, also known as "Fox" and "Fox Tapia", is an alleged leader of the

Mexican Mafia The Mexican Mafia (Spanish: ''Mafia Mexicana''), also known as ''La eMe'' (Spanish for "the M"), is a predominantly Mexican American prison gang and criminal organization in the United States. Despite its name, the Mexican Mafia has no origins i ...

who is alleged to have run Mexican Mafia operations from inside

Los Angeles County Los Angeles County, officially the County of Los Angeles and sometimes abbreviated as LA County, is the most populous county in the United States, with 9,663,345 residents estimated in 2023. Its population is greater than that of 40 individua ...

jails from 2012–2016. The alleged actions are purported in a May 2018 federal indictment and by prosecutors to have occurred primarily at the

Men's Central Jail Men's Central Jail is a Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department county jail for men in Los Angeles, Los Angeles County, California, United States. Built in 1963, it is one of the oldest county jails in California. The Men's Central Jail is located ...

, a Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department county jail. It is alleged that Landa-Rodriguez had ordered murders and assaults to occur, for a kidnapping and murder to occur, and that he controlled all drug trafficking in Los Angeles County jails. In addition to charges accusing Landa-Rodriguez of controlling illegal operations within the Los Angeles County jail system, he has been accused of using his attorney, Gabriel Zendejas-Chavez, to relay messages to Mexican Mafia controlled street gangs known as

Sureños ''Sureños'' (; Spanish language, Spanish for ''Southerners'')‍, also known as ''Southern United Raza'', ''Sur 13'' or ''Sureños X3'', are groups of loosely affiliated gangs that pay tribute to the Mexican Mafia while in Incarceration in the U ...

. Attorney Gabriel Zendejas-Chavez was arrested on May 23, 2018 in conjunction with the allegations of acting as a messenger, however in a trial in August of 2022, the government failed to convict Chávez when the jury could not reach a verdict. RICO charges were dismissed against Chávez in September of 2024 in exchange for a plea to the charge of Misprision of a Felony. Chávez received no jail time, no probation, no supervision or fines. . Landa-Rodriguez is originally from the Mexican state

Michoacán Michoacán, formally Michoacán de Ocampo, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Michoacán de Ocampo, is one of the 31 states which, together with Mexico City, compose the Political divisions of Mexico, Federal Entities of Mexico. The stat ...

. Gang experts have described him as "the most powerful and influential inmate in L.A. County Jail".

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* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Landa-Rodriguez, Jose Hispanic and Latino American gangsters Mexican gangsters Gangsters from Los Angeles Mexican Mafia Gang members Prisoners and detainees of California People from Michoacán Mexican emigrants to the United States

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