Yesterday, federal and local law enforcement authorities announced that 40 alleged members of the Trinitarios gang in the Bronx were charged with murder and attempted murder. And one of the subgroups of the gang were the "Bad Barbies," an all-female operation that left even NYPD Commissioner Ray Kelly surprised. He said yesterday, "We weren't surprised to learn that the Trinitarios were up to no good in the Bronx. But the Bad Barbies? Who knew? Maybe it's a sign of the times that gender is no bar when it comes to murder, robbery and other crimes."
Kelly said, "It’s estimated that at any given time there are about 100 female members of the Trinitarios. The violence among men and women alike is frequently directed at rival gangs including the Crips and Dominicans-Don’t-Play. Not to mention the internecine violence among various Trinitario members themselves. That was, until the detectives, agents and prosecutors in this case interceded." Alleged leader of the Bad Barbies, Maria Mejia, 24, is accused of luring a Dominicans Don't Play member to a bar where he was shot last year (the DDP member apparently killed a fellow Trinitarios member) as well as being involved in the stabbing of a Crips gang member at a McDonald's in 2005.
The Daily News had a description of Mejia: "The chubby 5-foot-3 defendant wore red knee-high boots and black nail polish to her arraignment Wednesday." The Post's fashion crime report says the "short and busty" Mejia was "wearing a red-and-white-striped sweater with white cargo pants tucked into knee-high brown boots." Mejia pleaded not guilty, and her sister said, "She's taking care of my sick mother. It's not true she's in a gang."
Besides the Bad Barbies, other factions of the Trinitarios include the "Bad Boys," "El Combo," "Violating All Bitches," and the "One Seven Hoes." You can read the U.S. Attorney's press release here.
