SAN JOSE — A San Jose man has been sentenced to 18 months in federal prison for his involvement in a plot to rob a drug dealer in Union City, one that authorities say was thwarted thanks to a massive wiretap operation.
Kyle Leonis was sentenced last month by U.S. District Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers, after he pleaded guilty to a count of conspiracy to commit a robbery. Leonis was charged as part of a massive investigation aimed at the Nuestra Familia prison gang and several Norteño street gangs it controls, mostly based in San Jose.
Prosecutors contend that Leonis is a “sixth generation” member of a Norteño subset based in San Jose, but his attorney denied this and says that Leonis is at most an “associate” of a few young men who are gang members.
The 2018 plot to rob the Union City home was discussed in detail while authorities were wiretapping gang members’ phones, according to court records. After the FBI raided the home of the drug dealer they intended to rob, the co-conspirators allegedly talked about how there was likely “a rat” in their midst and Leonis asked if they should “86” that person, who was later assaulted, prosecutors said in a sentencing memo.
But Leonis’ lawyer said the term “86” was not a reference to a violent act, but actually to ostracizing the alleged snitch from social gatherings. Leonis works in the restaurant industry where the term “86” is used often to refer to banning someone from an establishment, his lawyer added.
In that same vein, Leonis’ lawyer included several support letters that vouched for Leonis’ character, and said he has “grown tremendously” since his arrest in 2021. One of those letters, written by the owner of a pizza restaurant, predicts that Leonis’ work as a pizza chef will transform his life for the better.
“It isn’t just pizza with us. It is a way of life,” the letter says. “It led me down a road that set me straight, and I know this will do the same for Kyle.”
