MERCED, Calif. (KSEE/KGPE) – Among the over 40 arrests announced on Thursday as part of ‘Operation Red Rooster’ was a man who was once honored by Merced City Council for using his success in the music industry to give back to his community.
In August 2023, Eduardo Nepomuceno-Vega was recognized by the Merced City Council and presented with the certificate below. In May 2024, he was arrested as part of an investigation that focused on a criminal street gang in Merced, according to the California Department of Justice.
Eduardo Nepomuceno-Vega, who is also known by the alias “GB” or “Getto Boy” from Merced, was recognized by Merced City Council in the Aug. 7, 2023, meeting. Councilmembers were told about how he used his popularity to better his community.
“He’s used every ounce of popularity, every like, every view to better his own situation, the situation of his family, but also his community,” said Councilmember Jesse Ornelas at the meeting on Aug. 7, 2023. “To me, that’s really what Merced is about. I’m really proud of the growth that he’s shown.”
Councilmember Ornelas detailed how Eduardo Nepomuceno-Vega holds shoe giveaways, and backpack giveaways and sets up toy drives to provide toys to Valley Children’s Hospital in Madera.
Eduardo also spoke during the August 2023 Merced City Council meeting.
“My name is Eduardo Nepomuceno-Vega. I go by the moniker of “GB” and, basically, I’m just a boy that came from south Merced and I just started doing music for fun and eventually, it kind of grew bigger than what I could ever imagine.”
Less than a year later, Eduardo Nepomuceno-Vega was listed among the 41 people arrested as part of Operation Red Rooster.
The investigation that sparked Operation Red Rooster began in 2021 after the Livingston Police Department investigated a homicide and attempted homicide connected to a prominent criminal street gang. As a result of the operation, the California Department of Justice says over 60 pounds of narcotics were seized and 27 guns were confiscated.
“Our work to address the organized criminal street gang crisis is saving lives and making communities safer — but there is more to be done,” said Attorney General Rob Bonta. “We won’t rest until California communities are free from gang activity, including here in the Central Valley.”
Eduardo Nepomuceno-Vega is due in court on Tuesday.
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