Richmond Bloods member pleads no contest to racketeering charges (Richmond, VA): A Richmond-area leader of the Bloods street gang facing up to life in prison pleaded no contest Monday to two state racketeering charges and netted 13 years in prison.

 Newport News 8th graders learning about gangs (Newport News, VA): : Middle school students in Newport News are getting a lesson on the dangers of gangs. "Kids are nervous at school, even intimidated by gangs," says Sgt. George Evans. He says youth gang activity is a big problem so police are stepping in.

 Renewed focus on gang violence after recent conviction (Richmond, VA:  known MS-13 gang member now faces years in prison for a murder near Richmond's Pony Pasture. Just days ago the killer in a 2011 summertime shooting that left one person dead was convicted

 Local audience told of signs, symptoms of gang membership: Two factors are most likely to prevent children from joining criminal street gangs — monitoring by parents and good coping skills, said Gretchen Ellis, director of the Charlottesville/Albemarle Commission on Children and Families.

 Officials warn of MS-13 gang activity in area: An emerging presence in the Richmond area of MS-13, a notoriously violent national street gang, is raising concern among law enforcement officials as they investigate several violent incidents, including a stabbing in Richmond.

 Link seen between stabbing, national street gang MS-13: Authorities are investigating a link between a brutal stabbing in Richmond last month and the national street gang MS-13.

 City man, MS-13 member, charged for running underage prostitution ring: A city man and admitted MS-13 gang member faces felony charges in connection with a prostitution ring he allegedly ran with local, underage runaways.

 Indictment accuses 11 of ruthless gang crimes, including killings, in D.C. area: Federal authorities accused 11 people Wednesday of orchestrating a two-year run of killings, stabbings and beatings across the Washington area as members of a violent Salvadoran gang.

 Gang leader pleads to racketeering in D.C. area: A leader of a violent street gang tied to the attempted murder of two rival gang members and to the extortion of pimps trafficking prostitutes from Maryland into Virginia pleaded guilty Thursday to federal racketeering charges, according to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

 Prison gang codes: Looking beyond the graffiti: Officers working in a Virginia correctional facility found fifteen pages of an encoded document. One of the pages contained the picture below Because the picture had notes indicating 166th Street, Bronx, NY, the material was forwarded to the New York City Police Department (NYPD). They sent it to me. As you look at the picture you may also see what appears to be “cross hair sights” and bullet holes.

 Sweep nets immigrants with criminal charges: Dozens of members of street gangs who were in the United States illegally were arrested in a four-day immigration operation across Virginia and the District of Columbia, officials announced Monday.