Sentenced five members of the Puro Lil Mafia (PLM) street gang following their guilty pleas to various firearms offenses, according to a a release from the U.S. Attorney's Office. In April 2008, three of the five, Andrew Cecil Harris, 36; Hugo Lopez, 22; and Betty Bustillos, 25; were arrested by members of the Wichita Falls Police Department and FBI agents on federal weapons charges in an early morning round-up. The other two, Jessie James Greek; 27, and Jason Grantham, 20, were already in state/local custody on related charges.According to the release, Andrew Cecil Harris pleaded guilty to one count of being a felon in possession of a firearm and one count of being a felon in possession of ammunition. He was sentenced to 37 months in federal prison.Hugo Lopez pleaded guilty to one count of possession of a firearm by an illegal alien and was sentenced to 46 months in federal prison.Betty Bustillos pleaded guilty to one count of making a false statement during the purchase of a firearm and was sentenced to 36 months probation with six months of that to be served in home confinement.Jessie James Greek pleaded guilty to two counts of being a felon in possession of a firearm and was sentenced to 120 months in federal prison.Jason Grantham pleaded guilty to being a felon in possession of a firearm and was sentenced to 41 months in the bureau of prisons.Earlier this month, the known leader of the PLM gang, Mauricio Diaz, 33, was convicted at trial on one count of possession with intent to distribute marijuana, possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime and being a felon in possession of a firearm, the release said. He faces up to life in prison and is scheduled to be sentenced on Dec. 15, 2009, by O’Connor.

Diaz’s conviction brings the total to 14 PLM gang members who were charged federally and have been convicted. Other sentencings are scheduled for later this fall.

Immigration agents targeted the Puro ‘Lil Mafia (PLM) gang. They were armed with federal and state indictments.Authorities say the PLM Gang is responsible for many violent gun crimes, and the recruitment of young boys and girls into their gang. 7News has been following the effort to fight gangs in the Falls for several years, and since October, 2007, police and federal authorities say they have been tracking this particular gang's activity.Just last year, the city secured an injunction against the PLM Gang to further crack down on their members' crimes. Now, several members face time in prison. Seven homes were searched during the Wednesday morning takedown, and the message from law enforcement and the Wichita Falls Police Chief was abundantly clear. "We will not tolerate anybody shooting up Wichita Falls."Shooting up Wichita Falls is what the PLM Gang is accused of doing. "The vast majority of them carry weapons constantly, like the chief talked about," said Assistant U.S. Attorney Taly Haffar. "Doing drive-bys they always have guns in their cars, they're always walking around with guns on them - it's a big problem," he said. "It's bad enough that the other gang members that they're shooting at get hit, but we have innocent citizens out there who get hit," said Chief Dennis Bachman. "We shouldn't have a community like that anywhere in the United States."With federal authorities involved, the U.S. Attorney's Office sought to crack down on a growing trend in Wichita Falls and the rest of the country. It's called "Straw Gun Purchases." "...where somebody is buying a firearm, and telling the firearms' dealer they're purchasing it for themselves, and they turn around and hand it off to a convicted felon or somebody else who is not allowed to possess a firearm," said Afar.Wednesday's announcement included indictments for "straw" purchases. "If you're going to commit crimes in Wichita Falls, you might expect to go to jail and prison," Bachman said. "We believe this will dismantle - if not completely destroy - this street gang," said Afar.Authorities say some of the arrests were attributed to drugs - specifically large amounts of powdered cocaine. In all, they say 14 people face federal charges, including a man from Illinois. 7News is told that he is an associate of the gang. Four more people face state charges, and more arrests are expected.Bachman says that while it always is good to have bad guys off the street, he considers today's operation a success because no one was hurt.