After negotiations during a court break, prosecutors agreed to release the names of witnesses in a federal racketeering trail.
The action came during a hearing Thursday in which defense attorneys for members of the Tiny Oriental Posse argued that prosecutors were not allowing information to be released as part of discovery that would identify witnesses in various home invasion robberies, car jackings and murders connected to the gang.
However, U.S. District Magistrate Judge Samuel Alba supported a prosecution request to order the 14 defendants not to share the information with anyone outside their attorneys. Alba asked that an order be drawn up, which he plans to sign by Monday, and made it very clear that he would come down hard on the group if he receives information that witnesses, investigating police officers or others have been threatened into keeping quiet.
Personal information that will be released includes dates of birth, Social Security numbers and addresses.
During the hearing, prosecutors cited a potential to spark a wave of retaliation by gang members as they expressed concern with releasing the names and contact information of witnesses in the racketeering case against 14 members of what police say is a violent gang.
Alba told defense attorneys they needed to take into consideration that information on witnesses could cause more homicides. He added that some of the defendants had been accused of intimidating witnesses to some of the gang's crimes before.
Federal prosecutors indicted the group earlier this month in an attempt to use federal racketeering laws to break up a gang that federal and local law enforcement say is responsible for numerous murders, assaults, robberies and car jackings.
The gang, predominantly based in West Valley City, was formed in 1985 and has sustained itself on robberies and the selling of drugs, according to police.
Among the crimes listed in the indictment is the murder of Bethany Hyde, whose car was shot at by a TOP member in November 1998 after TOP members were out "hunting" rival gang members and mistook Hyde's car for that of one belonging to a rival member.
In November 1995, 17-year-old Nicholas Dirkson was gunned down outside a Kentucky Fried Chicken in Midvale after Dirkson was about to call police and report a TOP member had broken into his car and stolen his stereo.
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