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THE WHISPER GAME – EPISODE 1

MARIA: IF YOU EVER PLAYED A GAME OF TELEPHONE AS A KID, THEN YOU’LL KNOW HOW THIS ONE GOES.

YOU SIT AROUND IN A CIRCLE AND SOMEBODY STARTS WITH A WORD. AND BY THE TIME THE WORD REACHES THE LAST PERSON IN THE GAME, AT THE END OF THE CIRCLE, IT’S OFTEN CHANGED. SO, STYROFOAM BECOMES XYLOPHONE. BACON TURNS INTO BEACON.

WORDS THAT ARE SIMILAR IN APPEARANCE, BUT WITH COMPLETELY DIFFERENT MEANINGS.

OUR STORY IS ABOUT A MAN NAMED NIXON AZUAJE PÉREZ. HIS IS ONE VERY LONG, COMPLICATED GAME OF TELEPHONE. AND WHO HE WAS – WHO PEOPLE SAID HE WAS – IS PART OF A BIGGER QUESTION THAT’S STILL PLAYING OUT IN COURTROOMS ACROSS THE COUNTRY.

THIS ALL STARTS AT AROUND FOUR AM ON JULY 28TH, 2024, WHEN NIXON CLEANED UP SPENT BULLET CASINGS FROM OUTSIDE OF HIS THIRD-FLOOR APARTMENT.

NIXON: Y SE ESCUCHABA COMO PEGABAN LOS DISPAROS ASÍ EN FREN– COMO EN FRENTE DE LA, DE, DE LOS APARTAMENTOS, ASÍ: PA, PA, PA.

MATEO: THERE HAD BEEN A SHOOTING AT THE COMPLEX WHERE NIXON WAS LIVING. 1568 NOME STREET, AURORA, COLORADO. LA NOME – AS SOME OF ITS RESIDENTS REFERRED TO IT – WAS HOME TO HUNDREDS OF VENEZUELAN MIGRANTS, MANY OF WHOM – LIKE HIM – HAD JUST ARRIVED IN THE U.S.

AS ONE GROUP OF SHOOTERS FLED TOWARDS THE THIRD-FLOOR STAIRCASE, THEY FIRED OFF ROUNDS BEHIND THEM.

NIXON:  NOSOTROS VEMOS TODOS LOS CARTUCHOS DE BALA Y, Y DIJIMOS: “O SEA, MIRA ESO, VA A VENIR LA POLICÍA PARA ACÁ Y VA A DECIR QUE FUIMOS NOSOTROS. 

MATEO: EMPTY SHELL CASINGS FELL ONTO THE BALCONY IN FRONT OF NIXON’S DOOR.

“THE POLICE ARE GONNA COME HERE AND SAY IT WAS US,” HE THOUGHT.

NIXON: ME DESPIERTA Y ME DICE QUE NOS VAN A ALLANAR EL APARTAMENTO, QUE HABÍAN DICHO QUE SALIERAN LOS DEL APARTAMENTO TRES, TRESCIENTOS ONCE.

MATEO: AURORA PD ARRIVED THE NEXT DAY WITH LOUD SPEAKERS. “NIXON, NIXON!” HIS OLDER BROTHER DIXON YELLED OUT TO HIM. YES, HIS OLDER BROTHER’S NAME IS DIXON. “THE POLICE ARE HERE! THEY’RE TELLING US TO COME OUT!”

NIXON: YO SABÍA QUE ME ESTABAN TRATANDO DE IMPLICAR DE QUE YO DIJERA QUE SÍ SOY O ME DECLARO CULPABLE DE QUE SOY DEL TREN DE ARAGUA O ALGO ASÍ…

MATEO: THE COPS SUSPECTED THAT NIXON WAS PART OF A VENEZUELAN GANG, TREN DE ARAGUA.

ITS MEMBERS HAD BECOME NOTORIOUS FOR EXTORTION AND HUMAN TRAFFICKING IN PARTS OF SOUTH AMERICA. BUT AT THE TIME OF NIXON’S ARREST, HARDLY ANYONE IN THE U.S. HAD HEARD OF IT.

MARIA: TREN DE ARAGUA – OR TDA AS US AUTHORITIES NOW CALL IT – WOULD SOON CAPTURE THE IMAGINATIONS OF POLITICIANS ACROSS THE COUNTRY.

IT MOBILIZED MULTIPLE FEDERAL LAW ENFORCEMENT AGENCIES. THE FBI. DEA. ATF.

TREN DE ARAGUA WOULD END UP BEING PART OF THE JUSTIFICATION FOR BLOWING UP FISHING BOATS IN THE CARIBBEAN LAST YEAR. ALSO FOR CAPTURING VENEZUELAN PRESIDENT NICOLÁS MADURO EARLIER THIS YEAR. AND ULTIMATELY, NIXON WOULD BE DETAINED AFTER THE U.S. GOVERNMENT ALLEGED THAT HE WAS PART OF THE GANG.

BUT WAS HE, IN FACT, A MEMBER OF TREN DE ARAGUA?

AND HOW WOULD ANYONE REALLY KNOW? THAT IS A QUESTION THAT MY COLLEAGUE MATEO HAS BEEN TRYING TO ANSWER FOR ABOUT A YEAR.

MATEO: SO I REACHED OUT TO LATINO USA AND GOT HOOKED UP WITH MARIA. SHE’S REPORTED ON STREET GANGS IN CHICAGO. WRITTEN A BOOK ABOUT THE ONES IN NEW YORK. THAT WORLD IS NEWER TO ME. I’VE REPORTED ON IMMIGRATION FOR COLORADO PUBLIC RADIO, BUT LESS SO FROM INSIDE THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM.

AND FOR THAT REASON, I THINK MARIA AND I APPROACHED THE STORY IN DIFFERENT WAYS.

MARIA: IN ALL OF THE DECADES THAT I’VE BEEN COVERING GANGS, I HAVE SEEN THIS PLAY OUT ON ENOUGH STREET CORNERS… IN ENOUGH APARTMENT COMPLEXES JUST LIKE LA NOME… TO KNOW THAT IN FACT, COPS DON’T HAVE TO HAVE MUCH EVIDENCE IN ORDER TO TIE SOMEONE LIKE NIXON TO A GANG.

MATEO: BUT THERE WERE MEMBERS OF TREN DE ARAGUA IN COLORADO. SOME OF THEM IN AURORA. AND A LOT OF PEOPLE WERE CONVINCED THAT THE GANG WAS OPERATING FROM INSIDE LA NOME.

MARIA: NOW, BOTH MATEO AND I WERE SKEPTICAL IN OUR OWN DIFFERENT WAYS WHICH MADE IT REALLY INTERESTING BECAUSE I’VE BEEN AROUND FOR A WHILE, MATEO IS A DEEP INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALIST BUT THIS DIFFERENCE, THIS SKEPTICISM ON THE PART OF BOTH OF US ENDED UP BEING A POWERFUL TOOL WHEN IT CAME TO FINDING OUT THE TRUTH ABOUT NIXON.

MUSIC 

MARIA: FROM FUTURO MEDIA —IT’S LATINO USA, I’M MARIA HINOJOSA.

MATEO: I’M MATEO SCHIMPF

MARIA: TODAY: THE WHISPER GAME, A SERIES ABOUT A YOUNG MIGRANT, AN INTERNATIONAL GANG, AND HOW AURORA, COLORADO, BECAME A TEST CASE FOR TRUMP’S MASS DEPORTATION CAMPAIGN.

TODAY’S EPISODE IS A COLLABORATION WITH COLORADO PUBLIC RADIO

THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION CAME DOWN HARD ON A HOUSING COMPLEX IN AURORA, COLORADO, WHERE THEY ALLEGED A VENEZUELAN GANG HAD TAKEN OVER. BUT WAS THERE ANY TRUTH TO THAT CLAIM? WE TRACE THE STORY OF ONE MAN TO FIND OUT.

NIXON: YO SOY EL SEGUNDO MAYOR, O SEA, YO SIGO DESPUÉS DE MI HERMANO MAYOR, PUES.

MARIA: NIXON TELLS US THAT HE IS THE SECOND OLDEST SIBLING AFTER HIS BROTHER DIXON. AND THEY’RE FROM A CITY IN NORTHWEST VENEZUELA CALLED GUANARE.

NIXON: MI MAMÁ TOMÓ LA DECISIÓN EN 2018 DE IRSE DE VENEZUELA PORQUE ESTABA LA COSA MUY CRÍTICA.

MARIA: IN 2018, HIS MOM NORELIS MADE THE DECISION TO UPROOT THE FAMILY FROM VENEZUELA. NIXON WAS JUST FOURTEEN YEARS OLD AT THE TIME.

NIXON: LO QUE PASA ES QUE EL SUELDO QUE GANABAN NO ALCANZABA PARA COMPRAR LO NECESARIO, PUES. O SEA, SI COMÍAS NO, NO TE VESTÍAS NI HABÍA PARA ÚTILES ESCOLARES NI PARA NINGUNA OTRA COSA

MARIA: THE PAY THEY EARNED WASN’T ENOUGH TO BUY WHAT YOU NEEDED. LIKE IF YOU ATE, THEN YOU COULDN’T GET CLOTHES, AND THERE WASN’T ENOUGH MONEY FOR SCHOOL SUPPLIES OR ANYTHING ELSE IF YOU BOUGHT FOOD.

NORELIS PROMISED NIXON AND HIS BROTHERS THAT THINGS WOULD BE SO MUCH BETTER WHERE THEY WERE GOING.

NIXON: ALLÁ VAN A PODER COMER MANZANAS, VAN A PODER COMER ESTO. 

MARIA: “OVER THERE,” SHE TOLD THEM, “WE ARE GOING TO BE ABLE TO EAT APPLES.”

THEY FAMILY ENDED UP SPENDING FOUR MONTHS IN ECUADOR BEFORE MAKING THEIR WAY TO THE NORTHERN COAST OF PERU, TO A CITY CALLED TRUJILLO.

BUT NIXON SAID BY THE TIME THEY ARRIVED THERE, HE’D EATEN SO MANY APPLES THAT HE WAS SICK OF THEM.

MARIA: NEARLY EIGHT MILLION VENEZUELANS FLED THEIR COUNTRY’S ECONOMIC FREEFALL OVER THE LAST DECADE. IT’S ONE OF THE LARGEST MIGRATIONS IN RECORDED HUMAN HISTORY.

VENEZUELANS FANNED OUT ACROSS SOUTH AMERICA. TO COLOMBIA. TO CHILE. TO ECUADOR. AND TO PERU. AND, EVENTUALLY, TO THE UNITED STATES.

NIXON: ENTONCES, HASTA QUE LLEGÓ A NUESTRAS MENTALIDADES EL SUEÑO AMERICANO EN EL 2023. 

MARIA: IN 2023, THE AMERICAN DREAM ENTERED NIXON’S PSYCHE.

NIXON: NOSOTROS MIRÁBAMOS MUCHAS PELÍCULAS, VEÍAMOS LA ESTATUA DE LA LIBERTAD, VEÍAMOS NUEVA YORK, EL EMPIRE STATE Y TODO ESO.

MARIA: HE HAD SEEN NEW YORK CITY IN THE MOVIES. THE STATUE OF LIBERTY. THE EMPIRE STATE BUILDING. ALL OF THE LIGHTS AND NOW THIS SEEMED POSSIBLE FOR HIM TO ACTUALLY SEE IT IN PERSON.

MATEO: DENVER IS PROBABLY NOT THE PLACE MOST MIGRANTS DREAM OF COMING TO. IT’S A NICE CITY. FRIENDLY. MANAGEABLE. BUT CERTAINLY NOT ICONIC. A PLACE THAT’S MORE WELL-KNOWN FOR ITS PROXIMITY TO FAMOUS SKI RESORTS LIKE ASPEN AND VAIL THAN FOR WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENS INSIDE OF IT.

BUT BY LATE 2023, THOUSANDS OF MIGRANTS WERE SHOWING UP IN DENVER.

ARCHIVAL – NEWSCASTER: IN LESS THAN TWENTY FOUR HOURS, SIXTEEN BUSES PACKED WITH MIGRANTS ARRIVED IN DENVER. 

MATEO: THE CITY IS A STRAIGHT-SHOT NORTH FROM THE TEXAS BORDER. AND WHEN SHELTERS STARTED FILLING UP THERE, A LOT OF MIGRANTS ENDED UP WITH ONE-WAY BUS TICKETS TO DENVER.

BUT THE CITY WASN’T PLUMBED TO RECEIVE TENS OF THOUSANDS OF NEW PEOPLE. NOT MANY PLACES ARE. AND THE SUDDEN INFLUX LEFT DENVER MAYOR MIKE JOHNSTON SCRAMBLING TO DEAL WITH IT.

ARCHIVAL – JURINSKY:  DENVER MAYOR MIKE JOHNSTON, WITHOUT THE CONSENT, WITHOUT THE APPROVAL OF HIS CITY COUNCIL. THE CONTRACT HAS NOT EVEN BEEN SIGNED YET, IS RENTING OUT OUR HOTELS IN AURORA.

MATEO: MAYOR JOHNSTON DECIDED TO PLACE ABOUT 400 NEW MIGRANTS AT A QUALITY INN IN AURORA. IT WAS THE SAME EXTENDED STAY HOTEL WHERE SOME LOCALS HAD BEEN LIVING FOR ABOUT A YEAR.

A NUMBER OF THEM WERE FORCED TO LEAVE AS A RESULT.

ONE OF THOSE LOCALS FORCED TO LEAVE WORKED FOR COUNCILWOMAN DANIELLE JURINSKY.

ARCHIVAL – JURINSKY: THESE ARE AMERICAN CITIZENS, HARDWORKING AMERICAN CITIZENS, ONE OF WHICH HAPPENS TO BE AN EMPLOYEE OF MINE THAT WERE PUT ON THE STREET THIS PAST FRIDAY IN 40 DEGREE WEATHER. AND IF YOU REMEMBER IT, THEN SNOWED ON SATURDAY.

MATEO: JURINSKY IS AN AIR FORCE VETERAN WHO OWNED FOUR BARS AND RESTAURANTS AROUND AURORA. HER POLITICAL BRAND WAS HARD CHARGING. BUILT ON LAW AND ORDER. TWO THINGS THAT HELPED HER WIN AN AT-LARGE CITY COUNCIL SEAT IN 2021.

ARCHIVAL – JURINSKY:  I WOULD LIKE TO STATE THAT THE CITY OF AURORA IS NOT A SANCTUARY CITY // HOWEVER, DENVER PROUDLY PRIDES THEMSELVES ON BEING A SANCTUARY CITY.

MATEO: BY THE TIME IT WAS ALL SAID AND DONE, DENVER WOULD WELCOME MORE MIGRANTS PER CAPITA THAN ANY OTHER U.S. CITY IN A THREE-YEAR SPAN.

MARIA: SO THAT’S WHAT WAS HAPPENING IN THE BACKGROUND. THE WORLD THAT NIXON WOULD EVENTUALLY WALK INTO, REALLY FAR AWAY FROM THE SO-CALLED AMERICAN DREAM.

BUT HIS FIRST STOP IN THE U.S. WAS MORE THAN A THOUSAND MILES AWAY FROM DENVER.

MARIA: WAS IT THE AMERICAN DREAM COME TRUE? WAS NEW YORK EVERYTHING THAT YOU WANTED?

NIXON: SÍ, CUANDO SALÍ A CAMINAR, O SEA, ME DE– ME DELEITABA LA VISTA, COMO QUIEN DICE, MIRAR LAS, LOS EDIFICIOS, LAS CALLES DE NUEVA YORK Y TODO ESO.

MARIA: NIXON’S PARENTS HAD A CONNECTION IN NEW YORK, A FAMILY MEMBER WHO WAS ALREADY LIVING THERE… BUT THE ARRANGEMENT THEY’D MADE TO STAY WITH HIM FELL APART PRETTY QUICKLY.

NIXON: ENTONCES, TÚ SABES QUE HAY UN DICHO QUE DICE QUE EL MUERTO A LOS TRES DÍAS APESTA, ¿VERDAD?

MARIA: NIXON SAYS, “THERE’S A SAYING THAT THE DEAD START TO STINK AFTER THREE DAYS, YOU KNOW?”

SO THE FAMILY PICKED UP AND MOVED INTO A SHELTER IN MIDTOWN MANHATTAN. THAT’S AROUND THE TIME THAT NIXON STARTED TALKING TO SOME OF HIS VENEZUELAN FRIENDS WHO WERE LIVING IN DENVER.

NIXON: ÉL NOS DECÍA QUE ALLÁ SÍ HABÍA TRABAJO, QUE SI PODÍAMOS IR PARA ALLÁ, QUE NOS RECIBÍA, QUE TODO ESO. 

MARIA: “THERE REALLY IS A LOT OF WORK OVER HERE,” THEY TOLD HIM.

NIXON: ENTONCES, NOSOTROS DURAMOS MUCHO TIEMPO PENSANDO EN ESO, ¿VERDAD?

MARIA: NIXON SPENT QUITE SOME TIME THINKING ABOUT ALL OF THIS. I MEAN, HE DID HAVE A JOB WORKING AS A CLEANER AT A HOTEL IN BROOKLYN. BUT IT WAS THE NIGHT SHIFT. AND HE WASN’T GETTING ANY SLEEP WHEN ARRIVED BACK AT THE SHELTER IN THE MIDDLE OF THE DAY.

NIXON: TENÍA OJERAS HASTA POR AQUÍ, PORQUE, O SEA, NO ES FÁCIL TRABAJAR TODA LA NOCHE, QUE TÚ LLEGUES A UN REFUGIO Y QUIERAS DORMIR… 

MARIA: WHICH MEANT THAT NIXON WAS TOTALLY WORN DOWN. SO HE ENDED UP USING THE MONEY THAT HE’D SAVED TO BUY A ONE-WAY TICKET TO COLORADO.

NIXON: ENTONCES, CUANDO NOS LLEGÓ EL VUELO, AGARRAMOS LAS MALETAS Y VÁMONOS. 

MARIA: A FRIEND TOOK THEM STRAIGHT FROM THE AIRPORT TO A HOUSING COMPLEX IN AURORA, COLORADO, WHERE DOZENS OF VENEZUELAN MIGRANTS WERE ALREADY LIVING.

THEY CALLED IT LA NOME.

MUSIC

MARIA: COMING UP ON LATINO USA, WE TRACE THE HISTORY OF THE VENEZUELAN TREN DE ARAGUA GANG AND ASK, IS IT EVEN POSSIBLE THEY WERE IN AURORA, COLORADO?

STAY WITH US, NO TE VAYAS.

BREAK

MARIA: IT’S LATINO USA, I’M MARIA HINOJOSA.

MATEO: AND I’M MATEO SCHIMPF, A PRODUCER FROM COLORADO PUBLIC RADIO.

MARIA: BEFORE THE BREAK, WE LOOKED AT THE ROOTS OF THE TREN DE ARAGUA GANG AND BEGAN TO QUESTION IF THE ACCUSATION AGAINST ONE YOUNG MAN COULD POSSIBLY BE TRUE. WE CONTINUE WITH OUR STORY NOW…

MATEO: TWO MONTHS BEFORE NIXON ARRIVED IN COLORADO, A SPECIAL BULLETIN HAD STARTED CIRCULATING THROUGH THE AURORA POLICE DEPARTMENT.

IT CONTAINED A FEW PAGES OF DENSELY WRITTEN INFORMATION ABOUT THE VENEZUELAN GANG TREN DE ARAGUA, OR TDA FOR SHORT, PLUS A HANDFUL OF PHOTOS.

AN AIR JORDAN LOGO. SHIRTLESS MEN SPORTING TATTOOS OF CLOCKS AND TRAINS.

TO BE THOROUGH, AN OFFICER WITH THE DEPARTMENT ALSO SHARED RECENT INTEL FROM HOMELAND SECURITY INVESTIGATIONS – OR HSI – TO THE BULLETIN.

“THERE ARE 15-20 MEMBERS OF TREN DE ARAGUA IN DENVER AND AURORA,” HE WROTE IN AN EMAIL… BEFORE ADDING SOMETHING ELSE: HE’D ALSO HEARD FROM SOMEONE AT ICE. APPARENTLY TDA HAD DECIDED TO MAKE DENVER ITS HEADQUARTERS DUE TO SANCTUARY CITY POLICIES.

IT’S A WINDOW INTO HOW THE CIRCLE WAS EXPANDING IN THE GAME OF TELEPHONE. INTEL, WHISPERS, PASSING THROUGH LOCAL POLICE. HSI. ICE.

AND INFORMATION ABOUT THE GANG WAS ALSO COMING FROM THE OTHER SIDE OF THE U.S. BORDER.

RICARDO ESPINOZA CUESTAS:  LO QUE SUCEDE CON EL TREN DE ARAGUA, SUS ORÍGENES ES ESO, ¿NO? EH, YO LO HAGO UNA COMPARACIÓN A LA EXTORSIÓN EN CONSTRUCCIÓN CIVIL. 

MARIA: THIS IS RICARDO ESPINOZA CUESTAS.

RICARDO ESPINOZA CUESTAS: GENERAL DE LA POLICÍA NACIONAL DEL PERÚ // JEFE DE LA REGIÓN POLICIAL LA LIBERTAD, TREINTA Y SEIS AÑOS DE SERVICIO OPERATIVO, ESPECIALIDAD INVESTIGACIÓN CRIMINAL.

MARIA: AND HE SOUNDS LIKE HE TAKES HIS JOB VERY SERIOUSLY BECAUSE HE DOES. HE’S IN CHARGE OF A SECTION OF THE PERUVIAN NATIONAL POLICE.

THE GENERAL’S OFFICE IS IN TRUJILLO, A CITY ALONG PERU’S PACIFIC COAST AND IT’S THE LAST PLACE NIXON LIVED BEFORE HE CAME NORTH TO THE UNITED STATES.

AND TRUJILLO, WELL, IT’S BECOME SOMEWHAT NOTORIOUS FOR ITS GANG ACTIVITY. THER ARE A LOT OF BUSINESSES IN THE CITY – EVEN TAXIS – THAT HAVE A STICKER IN THEIR WINDOW OR BY THE CASH REGISTER. AND THAT STICKER LETS YOU KNOW WHICH GANG THEY’RE PAYING MONEY TO, LIKE THEY’RE BEING EXTORTED BY LET’S SAY LOS PULPOS OR LA JAURÍA.

ANYWAY, FOR A BRIEF MOMENT, THE GENERAL IN TRUJILLO, PERU, HE HAD A REAL PROBLEM WITH THE GANG, TREN DE ARAGUA.

RICARDO ESPINOZA CUESTAS:  PARA SER INTEGRANTE DEL TREN DE ARAGUA, ALGUNA DE LAS FACCIONES, ¿CUÁL ES EL PROCEDIMIENTO? 

TDA INTERVIEW:  UNA RECOMENDACIÓN O LA CONDUCTA DEL PERSONAL. 

MATEO: THAT’S THE GENERAL QUESTIONING AN ALLEGED TDA MEMBER IN AN INTERVIEW RECORDING.

IT WAS PART OF A PRESENTATION HE’D PUT TOGETHER ABOUT THE GANG… COMPLETE WITH ORG CHARTS. PHOTOS. GRAPHIC VIDEOS. IT WAS A LOT.

RICARDO ESPINOZA CUESTAS:  USTED PERTENECE A LA ORGANIZACIÓN CRIMINAL TREN DE ARAGUA? 

MATEO: ARE YOU A MEMBER OF THE CRIMINAL ORGANIZATION TREN DE ARAGUA?

TDA INTERVIEW:  SÍ.

MATEO: YES.

RICARDO ESPINOZA CUESTAS:  QUÉ FACCIÓN? ¿QUÉ FACCIÓN DENTRO DE LA ORGANIZACIÓN CRIMINAL PERTENECE? ¿A QUÉ FACCIÓN?

MARIA: TREN DE ARAGUA LITERALLY MEANS TRAIN FROM ARAGUA. AND THIS GANG HAS ITS ROOTS IN A VENEZUELAN RAILROAD UNION.

RICARDO ESPINOZA CUESTAS: Y LOS ORÍGENES, AHÍ EN VENEZUELA, EH, SE DABA LA CONSTRUCCIÓN DE UN TREN, DE UNA, DE UNA VÍA FERROVIARIA, PERO EN LA ZONA DE ARAGUA. 

MARIA: UNION MEMBERS HAD TURNED TO CRIME WHEN GOVERNMENT FINANCING FOR A RAILWAY PROJECT DRIED UP. AND SLOWLY, THEY STARTED TO FILL UP THE CELLS AT A STATE PRISON CALLED TOCORÓN.

THE VENEZUELAN GOVERNMENT HAD LOST CONTROL OF ITS PRISONS BY THE EARLY 2010S. THESE PLACES WERE INCREASINGLY VIOLENT. AND UNGOVERNABLE.

SO GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS ENLISTED INMATES TO HELP STRAIGHTEN THINGS OUT, BASICALLY SAYING, “HEY, YOU GUYS CAN RUN THE PRISON AS LONG AS YOU KEEP THINGS IN CHECK.”

SO WITH THE VENEZUELAN GOVERNMENT’S BLESSING, TREN DE ARAGUA, THE GANG, TOOK OVER THE PRISON, TOCORÓN.

RICARDO ESPINOZA CUESTAS: Y EFECTIVAMENTE POR LOS SISTEMAS DE CORRUPCIÓN PENITENCIARIOS, ELLOS TENÍAN LA LIBERTAD DE PODER DIRIGIR TODO, PERO BAJO UN ESCUDO DE PROTECCIÓN MUY SÓLIDO, ANILLO DE SEGURIDAD. 

MARIA: THE GANG OPERATED WITH IMPUNITY. YES, THEY EVEN BUILT SWIMMING POOLS AND NIGHTCLUBS INSIDE THE PRISON, AND EVENTUALLY TDA STARTED OPERATING OUTSIDE OF THE PRISON WALLS.

MARIA: SO TELL ME HOW YOU GET TO THE HOUSING COMPLEX IN NOME. QUE EN ESPAÑOL LE DICEN NOME, VERDAD. IN SPANISH THEY CALL IT “NOME,” RIGHT?

MARCOS: EH, ALLÍ VIVÍA MI HERMANO. O SEA, YO LE DIGO HERMANO 

MATEO: MARCOS IS ORIGINALLY FROM VENEZUELA’S CAPITAL, CARACAS. WE’RE NOT USING HIS REAL NAME TO PROTECT HIS IDENTITY, BECAUSE OF SAFETY CONCERNS. AND LIKE NIXON, MARCOS MOVED INTO LA NOME IN 2023 AND SETTLED INTO AN APARTMENT ON THE FOURTH FLOOR WITH WINDOWS THAT FACED OUT ONTO THE STREET.

MARCOS: ESOS EDIFICIOS, ESTABAN ALQUILANDO, EH, NO ERA TANTO PROBLEMA PARA ALQUILAR, SIMPLEMENTE TENER EL DINERO, FIRMAR EL CONTRATO, LLEVAR LOS DOCUMENTOS NECESARIOS Y TODO FUE MUY RÁPIDO. 

MATEO: MARCOS SAYS THE RENTAL PROCESS WAS SIMPLE: BRING THE MONEY, YOUR DOCUMENTS, SIGN THE CONTRACT.

LA NOME WAS ONE OF SEVERAL HOUSING PROJECTS IN THE DENVER AREA OWNED BY CBZ MANAGEMENT. THE COMPANY’S COLORADO OPERATIONS WERE RUN BY TWO BROTHERS – ZEV AND SHMARYAHU BAUMGARTEN – WHO ARE ORIGINALLY FROM NEW YORK.

THEY BOUGHT THE BUILDING IN 2019, AND IT DIDN’T TAKE LONG FOR THE CITY CODE VIOLATIONS TO START PILING UP. TENANTS FILED DOZENS OF COMPLAINTS BETWEEN 2021 AND 2023. THOUGH THE NUMBER PALES IN COMPARISON TO WHAT WOULD COME LATER.

SO EVENTUALLY WORD STARTED TO GET AROUND. IT WAS FAST AND EASY TO RENT AN APARTMENT AT LA NOME. VENEZUELAN MIGRANTS MADE THEIR WAY THERE, HAPPY ENOUGH TO HAVE A ROOF OVER THEIR HEADS… EVEN IF THAT MEANT THE ACTUAL ROOF WAS SOMETIMES CAVING IN FROM WATER DAMAGE.

MARCOS: EN EL CUATROCIENTOS DIECISIETE VIVÍA UNA, UNA FAMILIAR MÍA, UNA TÍA MÍA CON SU FAMILIA. EN EL CUATROCIENTOS DIECIOCHO VIVÍA UNA AMIGA MÍA DE COLOMBIA. EN EL TRESCIENTOS DIECIOCHO SE VENDÍA COMIDA. 

MATEO: LA NOME WAS HOME FOR MANY LATIN AMERICAN FAMILIES. A PLACE OF COMMUNITY. SOMETHING THAT REMINDED IMMIGRANTS OF THE COUNTRIES THEY LEFT BEHIND.

MARCOS: ERA COMO, EH, LLEGAR Y TENER UN PEDACITO DEL PAÍS DE UNO. LLEGABAS Y TE SENTÍAS EN CONFIANZA.

MATEO: WHEN MARCOS GOES BACK AND LOOKS AT IT NOW – THIS HULKING, BEIGE APARTMENT BUILDING – HE PICTURES HIS COLOMBIAN FRIEND WHO LIVED NEXT DOOR. THE SMELL OF EMPANADAS. THE MEXICAN GUY LEANING OVER HIS BALCONY, DRINKING A BEER AND SMOKING A CIGARETTE.

BUT LA NOME WAS ALSO A MAGNET FOR CRIME.

MARCOS REMEMBERS THE PILES OF TRASH. ADDICTS STRUNG OUT IN THE LOBBY. AND THE BUILDING MANAGERS WHO STOPPED COMING AROUND.

LA NOME WAS BUILT IN A U-SHAPE. FOUR STORIES OF FORTRESSED, BRICK WALLS THAT WRAP AROUND AN OPEN COURTYARD. IT WAS KIND OF LIKE A COCOON. PROTECTED. KIDS RODE AROUND ON TRICYCLES AND PLAYED SOCCER IN THE PARKING LOT. BUT THE BUILDING’S CONSTRUCTION – WITH ITS SOFT MIDDLE SECTION – ALSO MADE IT AN EASY PLACE TO HIDE FROM COPS.

AND THE BAD GUYS, MARCOS SAYS, EVENTUALLY SHOWED UP.

MUSIC

MARIA: WE’LL BE RIGHT BACK, NO TE VAYAS

BREAK

MARIA: IT’S LATINO USA. I’M MARIA HINOJOSA.

MATEO: AND I’M I’M MATEO SCHIMPF, A PRODUCER FROM COLORADO PUBLIC RADIO.

MARIA: LET’S CONTINUE WITH OUR STORY

A MONTH AFTER NIXON MOVED INTO LA NOME, A SPECIAL TASK FORCE THAT INVESTIGATES STOLEN CARS STARTED TO ZERO IN ON A SERIES OF THEFTS AND FRAUDULENT VEHICLE TAGS IN NORTH AURORA.

IN AN EMAIL CHAIN, A CRIME ANALYST WITH AURORA PD WROTE, “A LOT OF THE VEHICLES ARE STOLEN FROM APARTMENT COMPLEXES WHERE A LOT OF OUR VENEZUELAN POPULATION IS LIVING AT.”

MARIA: ¿COMO LE LLAMABAS? WHAT DID YOU CALL THAT HOUSING COMPLEX?

 NIXON: PUES LE DECÍAN TOCORÓN. 

MATEO: LA NOME HAS HAD MANY NAMES. PEOPLE CALLED IT ASPEN GROVE. FITZSIMMONS PLACE. BUT NIXON KNEW IT AS TOCORÓN. IT’S UNMISTAKABLE: THE SAME NAME AS THE VENEZUELAN PRISON WHERE TREN DE ARAGUA STARTED.

MARIA: ¿Y PORQUE LE TENIAN ESE NOMBRE? WHY DID THEY CALL IT – IT’S A HOUSING PROJECT AND IT’S BEING NAMED AFTER A PRISON IN VENEZUELA 

NIXON: NO SÉ POR QUÉ LE DECÍAN ASÍ, PERO ASÍ LE DECÍAN, MIRA. Y…

MATEO: NIXON TOLD US HE WASN’T SURE WHERE THE NAME CAME FROM.

 NIXON: YO CREO QUE TOCORÓN TIENE UN EDIFICIO ASÍ QUE ES PARECIDO ASÍ A ESE, ¿SABES? QUE… 

MATEO: “I THINK IT’S BECAUSE THE BUILDINGS LOOKED SIMILAR, HE SAID.

IT’S NOT BEYOND THE STRETCH OF THE IMAGINATION. TOCORÓN, LIKE LA NOME, IS A BRUTISH, RECTANGULAR CONSTRUCTION WITH WINDOWS AND BALCONIES THAT FACE OUT ONTO A COURTYARD.

AND FOR HIS PART, NIXON SAYS HE JUST CALLED IT NOME OR HOME. BUT… AS MARIA WAS ASKING HIM… HIS EXPLANATION FOR WHY OTHER PEOPLE CALLED IT TOCORÓN STRUCK ME AS A BIT NAÏVE.

NIXON SEEMED TO BE AVOIDING THE MOST OBVIOUS REASON. MEMBERS OF TREN DE ARAGUA WERE LIVING THERE.

WE ASKED MARCOS, NIXON’S FRIEND, ABOUT TREN DE ARAGUA AT LA NOME.

MARCOS: CUANDO LLEGO A LA NOME, ¿VERDAD? ESTE, SI VEÍA QUE, ¿NO? QUE LA GENTE DECÍA: «NO, QUE YO SOY DEL TREN». 

MATEO: “WHEN I GOT TO LA NOME,” MARCOS SAID. “YEAH I DID SEE THAT PEOPLE WOULD SAY, ‘I’M WITH TREN.”

MARCOS: CUANDO LLEGÓ LA GENTE QUE LLEGÓ Y SE METIÓ ASÍ, QUE NO ME DA PENA DECIRLO NI MIEDO TAMPOCO, QUE FUERON VENEZOLANOS CON, CON MALA CABEZA…

MATEO: AND THEN NEW PEOPLE STARTED SHOWING UP. “I’M NOT ASHAMED TO SAY IT,” MARCOS SAID. “THEY WERE VENEZUELANS WITH BAD INTENTIONS.”

ACCORDING TO MARCOS, THESE PEOPLE STARTED LAYING DOWN SOME RULES IN THE BUILDING. KIDS COULDN’T BE OUT IN THE HALLWAYS AFTER NINE. NO PARTIES. IF A UNIT OPENED UP, THEY’D LAY CLAIM TO IT. CHARGING RENT THEMSELVES.

MARCOS: ERAN COMO LOS NUEVOS ADMINISTRADORES DEL EDIFICIO. 

MATEO: MARCOS SAYS THEY WERE LIKE THE NEW MANAGERS OF THE BUILDING, AND THAT’S IN PART BECAUSE THE EXISTING MANAGERS – CBZ MANAGEMENT – HAD ESSENTIALLY ABANDONED THE PROPERTY.

WE REACHED OUT TO THEIR ATTORNEYS FOR COMMENT BUT, ADMITTEDLY, IT’S BEEN A LITTLE HARD TO TRACK THEM DOWN. ONE OF THE BROTHERS, ZEV BAUMGARTEN, HAS MADE A HABIT OF AVOIDING COLORADO COURTROOMS, AND THERE WAS RECENTLY A WARRANT OUT FOR HIS ARREST.

MARIA: BUT BACK IN 2024, THIS WAS ALL QUITE FRESH. IN APRIL OF THAT YEAR, ZEV RECEIVED HIS THIRD COURT SUMMONS FOR CODE VIOLATIONS AT LA NOME.

THE COMPLAINTS INCLUDED: NO HEAT. FAILURE TO KEEP THE PROPERTY FREE OF LITTER. PUBLIC NUISANCE. UNLAWFUL VEHICLE.

MARIA: EN ALGÚN MOMENTO, ALGUIEN DE AFUERA PENSÓ QUE DE REPENTE TU PUDIERAS SER NADAMAS POR VIVIR EN LA NOME… DID ANYONE EVER THINK, “LIKE HIM TOO. HE’S PART OF IT TOO. HE’S PART OF THE TRAIN”?

MARCOS: YO CREO QUE SÍ, PORQUE NADA MÁS EL HECHO DE SER HOMBRE Y VIVIR EN LA NOME YA ÉRAMOS CATALOGADOS ASÍ. TODOS, TODOS. YA AHÍ TODOS ÉRAMOS EL TREN. 

MATEO: EVENTUALLY, MARCOS SAID ALL THE MEN LIVING AT LA NOME – INCLUDING HIM – WERE MADE TO FEEL LIKE MEMBERS OF THE GANG.

“NEIGHBORS,” HE SAID. “WOULD LOOK AT US WITH CONTEMPT. YOU COULD FEEL THE FEAR, THE UNCERTAINTY: ‘ARE THEY WITH TREN OR AREN’T THEY WITH TREN?’”

BUT AS FOR ALL THE PEOPLE WALKING AROUND SAYING THEY WERE MEMBERS OF TDA… MARCOS HAD HIS DOUBTS.

IN VENEZUELA, HE SAYS, A PERSON WHO BELONGS TO A MAFIA DOESN’T JUST GO AROUND ANNOUNCING IT.

MARCOS: QUE LA GENTE DECÍA: «NO, QUE YO SOY DEL TREN». PERO MUCHA GENTE USÓ ESO COMO DE ESCUDO, 

MATEO: “THEY USED IT AS A SHIELD,” HE TOLD US.

MARCOS: COMO PARA DECIR: «YO SOY DEL TREN, ME TIENES MIEDO», PERO REALMENTE NO LO ERAN O NO CONOCÍAN A NADIE DE ESA SORGANIZACIÓN.

MATEO: “‘I’M WITH TREN DE ARAGUA, SO YOU’RE SCARED OF ME.’ WHEN REALLY THEY WEREN’T PART OF OR DIDN’T EVEN KNOW ANYONE IN THE ORGANIZATION.”

MARIA: NIXON SAYS HE DIDN’T PAY MUCH ATTENTION TO WHAT WAS GOING ON WITH OTHER PEOPLE AT LA NOME. HIS LIFE THERE ACTUALLY APPEARED PRETTY UNREMARKABLE.

HE’D GOTTEN A JOB WORKING CONSTRUCTION AND WAS GONE FOR LONG STRETCHES OF THE DAY.

NIXON: SI NO ME ENCERRABA, SALÍA PARA LA CASA DE, DEL AMIGO DONDE YO LLEGUÉ,Y YO IBA PARA SU CASA O A JUGAR AHÍ CON ELLOS, QUE SI…

MARIA: OTHERWISE, NIXON SAID, “I’D GET HOME AND I’D SHUT MYSELF IN.”

NOW, IT IS POSSIBLE THAT NIXON MIGHT HAVE MISSED THE SIGNS THAT LA NOME WAS BECOMING A MORE DANGEROUS PLACE TO LIVE, BUT HE COULDN’T HAVE MISSED THE FACT THAT HIS OWN APARTMENT AND THE ENTIRE BUILDING WERE FALLING APART.

THE CITY HAD A LOT OF QUESTIONS FOR THE MANAGEMENT COMPANY ABOUT ALL OF THIS. THEY WANTED TO KNOW ABOUT FIRES IN THE BUILDING. ABOUT THOSE ABANDONED CARS IN THE PARKING LOT. ABOUT THE SURVEILLANCE CAMERAS THAT WEREN’T WORKING.

IN JUNE OF 2024, THE OWNERS OF LA NOME WERE ASKED TO PROVIDE A REPRESENTATIVE FOR A MEETING AT THE FBI OFFICE IN DENVER.

MUSIC

MATEO: BUT IT WASN’T TO TELL THEM TO CLEAN UP THEIR ACT, AT LEAST AS FAR AS I CAN TELL. THE FBI  APPARENTLY WANTED TO KNOW MORE ABOUT CRIMINAL ACTIVITY AT ZEV AND SHMARYAHU’S PROPERTIES. ALSO IN ATTENDANCE WERE MEMBERS OF THE AURORA POLICE DEPARTMENT AND THE DEA.

MARIA: WE DON’T KNOW EXACTLY WHAT WAS SAID AT THE MEETING, BUT IT’S AN IMPORTANT MOMENT IN THIS GAME OF TELEPHONE… WHERE NIXON’S NAME NOW INCHES CLOSER TO THAT OF TREN DE ARAGUA.

MATEO: LESS THAN A WEEK LATER, CBZ’S ATTORNEY – A GUY NAMED WALTER SLATKIN – FILED A STOLEN PROPERTY REPORT WITH LOCAL POLICE.

“ON JUNE 27, 2024,” IT BEGINS. “THE OWNERS WERE INFORMED THAT THE AURORA MULTI-FAMILY PROPERTIES HAD BEEN FORCIBLY TAKEN OVER AND WERE IN CONTROL OF INDIVIDUALS CLAIMING TO BE PART OF ONE OR MORE GANGS WHO HAVE IMMIGRATED FROM THE COUNTRY OF VENEZUELA TO THE CITY OF AURORA, COLORADO.”

MARIA: THE FIRST PROPERTY LISTED WAS LA NOME.

MUSIC

MATEO: ON THE NEXT EPISODE OF THE WHISPER GAME, WE FIND OUT WHAT HAPPENS AFTER POLICE SHOW UP AT NIXON’S APARTMENT COMPLEX…

ARCHIVAL – TRUMP: I’M ANNOUNCING TODAY THAT UPON TAKING OFFICE WE WILL HAVE AN OPERATION AURORA AT THE FEDERAL LEVEL TO EXPEDITE THE REMOVALS OF THESE SAVAGE GANGS… 

MARIA: AND HOW HE ENDS UP GETTING ACCUSED OF BEING A MEMBER OF TREN DE ARAGUA.

JURINSKY: HE WAS ONE OF THE LEADERS. 

MATEO: YOU THINK? 

JURINSKY: I, I KNOW HE WAS. 

MATEO: NIXON? 

JURINSKY:  YES. 

MATEO: HOW DO YOU KNOW? 

JURINSKY:  TH- THAT’S WHAT THE POLICE TOLD ME. 

JURINSKY:  THEY KNOW. THEY ALL KNOW.

MATEO: THAT’S ON THE SECOND EPISODE OF THE WHISPER GAME.

MARIA: THIS EPISODE WAS REPORTED AND PRODUCED BY MATEO SCHIMPF AND MYSLF, EDITED BY LAURA PEREZ, WITH EDITORIAL SUPERVISION BY PENILEY RAMIREZ AND EDITORIAL SUPPORT BY MEGAN VERLEE FROM COLORADO PUBLIC RADIO. OUR FIELD PRODUCER IN PERU WAS MILAGROS SALAZAR WITH CONVOCA PERU

THE WHISPER GAME IS A PRODUCTION OF FUTURO INVESTIGATES IN COLLABORATION WITH COLORADO PUBLIC RADIO.

IT WAS MIXED BY MATEO SCHIMPF.

FACT-CHECKING BY ROXANA AGUIRRE

FERNANDA ECHAVARRI IS OUR MANAGING EDITOR.

NANCY TRUJILLO IS OUR PRODUCTION MANAGER.

SPECIAL THANKS TO… RACHEL ESTABROOK WITH THE PORTLAND PRESS HERALD AND CHUCK MURPHY WITH COLORADO PUBLIC RADIO.

THE LATINO USA TEAM ALSO INCLUDES:

JULIA CARUSO

REBECA IBARRA

REYNALDO LEAÑOS JR.

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GLORIMAR MARQUEZ

JULIETA MARTINELLI

JJ QUERUBIN

AND LEVI SHARPE

PENILEY RAMIREZ AND I ARE EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS

I’M YOUR HOST MARIA HINOJOSA.

“LATINO USA IS PART OF I-HEART’S MY CULTURA PODCAST NETWORK. EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS AT IHEART ARE LEO [Lee-O] GOMEZ AND ARLENE [ARE-LEEN] SANTANA.

JOIN US AGAIN ON OUR NEXT EPISODE AND IN THE MEANTIME, LOOK FOR US ON ALL OF YOUR SOCIAL MEDIA.

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CIAO!

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