Gang member convicted of killing innocent man

A South Los Angeles gang member faces life in federal prison for executing a man in front of his son because the man happened to be Latino and in rival gang territory, federal prosecutors said Friday.

Rondale “P-Grump” Young, 30, was convicted of fatally shooting 23-year-old Francisco Cornelio in the back with a shotgun as Cornelio washed his car.

Young and another man, Anthony “Bandit” Gabrourel, 40, were part of a carload of Pueblo Bishop Bloods gang members who drove into rival gang territory near the Pueblo del Rio housing projects on Aug. 2, 2009, in South L.A. looking to retaliate for an earlier attack, prosecutors said.

The group saw Cornelio washing his car while his son was inside the vehicle, prosecutors said. The men jumped out and without warning, shot Cornelio in the back. Federal officials said Cornelio had no gang ties and was simply targeted for being Latino in gang territory.

Young had been tried in state court but was acquitted. The FBI investigated further and uncovered evidence that Young was the driver, authorities said. He was convicted of murder, conspiracy to commit murder and violating the state’s Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act (RICO). He faces a minimum of life in prison plus 10 years when he’s sentenced May 26.

Young’s accomplice, Gabrourel, was sentenced to 40 years in federal prison earlier this year. A third man was convicted of hiding the murder weapon and was sentenced to five years in prison, officials said.

Authorities have indicted 45 Pueblo Bishop Bloods gang members during their RICO investigation, officials said. Of those, 41 of the gang members have been convicted, two are in state custody for other violent crimes and two are at large.

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Joseph.serna@latimes.com

@josephserna