A Mexican Mafia prison gang member who controlled and extorted drug proceeds from Latino street gangs in and around Pomona faces sentencing Thursday for ordering the murder of an inmate at a federal lockup in downtown Los Angeles six years ago.
Michael Lerma, 69, and three fellow Pomona-area gang members were found guilty in March 2025 of murder and racketeering charges.
The murder by means of “lethal force” was ordered in retaliation for the inmate’s failure to pay off a heroin debt to the prison gang.
The in-custody killing was committed in June 2020 at the Metropolitan Detention Center while the defendants were in custody awaiting trial. In addition to the murder charge, the defendants were convicted of seizing control of drug trafficking within MDC.
Lerma, also known as “Pomona Mike” and “Big Mike,” has been described by federal prosecutors as a full member of the Mexican Mafia who controlled and extorted drug money from Pomona gang members as well as from inmates at the Calipatria State Prison in Imperial County.
Members of Lerma’s crew also engaged in robberies, identity theft and fraud, and other acts of violence, evidence showed.