L.A gangs

Not just in the streets anymore. One of the latest gang related crimes is, drumroll please, Mortgage Fraud.

Two dozen people were indicted on racketeering and other charges for allegedly conducting a wide-ranging mortgage fraud based in San Diego and led by a street gang member, according an indictment unsealed on Tuesday.

The lead defendant, Darnell Bell, a documented member of the Lincoln Park street gang in Los Angeles, received at least $9 million in proceeds from the enterprise, prosecutors said.

Bell's status as an active member of the Lincoln Park street gang helped him recruit straw buyers for 220 properties with a total sales price of $100 million, and later maintain discipline among them, according the indictment.

If there is a silver lining in this story, it is that the perps can be easy to arrest and detain.

Bell, who was in federal custody on narcotics charges, made his first court appearance on Tuesday.