Two Madera gang members who viciously beat a farmworker nearly to death last year await their fate; on Monday a judge will decide if the attack was done for the benefit of their criminal group and add time to their eventual sentence.
Cristobal Rubio, 19, and Oscar Tista, 20, pleaded guilty in past hearings to charges of felony assault with great bodily injury, but dispute the allegation the crime was done for the benefit of the Sureño street gang.
If Judge Ernest LiCalsi decides it was, lead prosecutor Rachel Cartier said the duo’s sentence can be enhanced to a maximum 14 years in prison.
“This was an attack on a legit innocent victim,” Cartier said. “Completely innocent.” ...