Rise of the Argentine Empire

On the second day after the formal establishment of the Blue Cloud Garment Factory, the "Bird Brothers" were officially sued in court.

Saint Hesser was sitting in a small room outside the police station, reviewing all the secret materials of the Bird Brothers that they had received and sealed up, which also gave him a better understanding of this new type of gang established by these high-achieving students.

The soldiers of the National Defense Army's action team did not participate in the subsequent cleanup work. They were disbanded on the spot and returned to the Eighth Brigade. There were no medals, no banners, and no flowers. As usual, all guns and weapons were put into storage, and the horses were released to Nanshan.

Little Thompson did not receive Saint Hesser. Only his confidant, Kane, had a brief chat with Saint Hesser, saying that the commander was preparing to go to Butch City in a while. He even vaguely revealed that the resident National Defense Department officials were dissatisfied with this matter.

Some believed that Little Thompson should not have wiped out the Brotherhood, causing some trouble, and privately mobilizing the National Defense Army, and even planned to punish Saint Hesser. Of course, with Little Thompson's protection, it was nothing more than a slap on the wrist. Little Thompson was a true local power figure, and the capital's National Defense Department's criticism was nothing more than a scratch that would soon pass.

The cleanup work was the responsibility of the Chief of the Police Department, and Abraham, who had been colluding with the Bird Brothers for a long time, was also temporarily suspended for investigation. As for the stolen money and other illicit funds, of course, they were all confiscated.

The task of collecting the criminal proceeds was given to a retired soldier squad led by Grod, and they were secretly transferred. Grod took most of it, and even found some secret stashes, bearer deposits, etc., totaling about nearly 500,000 US dollars, which was quite astonishing, reaching about one-fifth of the sales of the Plari factory last year.

Moreover, this was pure profit. The Plari factory's gross profit last year was about 1 million US dollars, and the net profit was expected to be less than 300,000 US dollars. The surplus funds were invested in equipment upgrades, but they did not actually generate much output. Under Saint Hesser's instructions, Grod did not go too far, leaving a lot of wealth for the people in the police station.

Other teams like the Lightning Project's Hounds and Hunters were, after all, government troops and could not do these things. Of course, Saint Hesser did not stop some people from stealing some cigarettes and alcohol, turning a blind eye, and he could not change their minds, taking the spoils of victory.

He couldn't let the corrupt police station people get too much of an advantage. Their deputy chief also participated in this matter, leaking secrets to the Bird Brothers. Fortunately, Grod cooperated internally and externally, fanning the flames, so that the encirclement and suppression operation did not fail, and the criminals did not escape. Saint Hesser was even more disdainful of the people in the police station.

Saint Hesser did not want the funds, stolen money, illicit funds, gambling money, etc., that Grod was responsible for secretly collecting. Instead, he instructed Grod to establish a foundation in Coke City to help out-of-school children.

All the funds were transferred to the foundation, which was responsible for providing relief to some out-of-school children in Coke City, hoping to do his part. This matter made Grod even more convinced of Saint Hesser.

For Saint Hesser, who could already handle tens of millions of funds, 500,000 was nothing, and it was still ill-gotten gains, so using it for good was the appropriate way out he had thought of.

Let's skip over that.

Saint Hesser originally understood that the family-style gangs in the current United States not only seized excessive commercial profits, but also manipulated the political situation behind the scenes, like a shadow government.

The American "Bird Brothers" is a new generation of gang underground forces, different from the traditional family-style gangs in the United States, originating in the emerging city of Los Angeles - Los Santos.

In the past, the main location of traditional family gangs in the United States was New York, New England, Detroit, Chicago, New Orleans, Denver, Cleveland, and other traditional cities. Emerging cities often do not have the soil for the survival of traditional family gangs.

The "Bird Brothers" are very different, but their development is very rapid, and the structure is more standardized and rational. They also have an international route, establishing branches in Brazil, Argentina, Colombia, and other places, recruiting local partners, and implementing non-direct management, but rather a local partnership system.

Saint Hesser stood silently for a while, then covered him with a white cloth, mourned for three minutes, and ordered someone to cremate the little brother's body. He was simply buried in the city cemetery, with a tombstone engraved, and the epitaph written on it, with a bunch of white chrysanthemums placed in front of the tombstone.

"A Poor Man"

"Sean Zunrich Johnny"

"March 1, 1951, Cordoba"

Above it hung a black and white photo, an innocent little boy.

Tragic, lamentable.

......

This gang in Cordoba was eliminated in its early stages due to internal strife among the city's upper echelons, where factions vied for power. The Byrd Brotherhood made a flashy entrance, colluding with corrupt officials and degenerate councilmen. Despite their short period of growth, they caused significant damage.

Don't let these criminal organizations fool you with their tough exterior; they're merely paper tigers. When the government launches a crackdown, they're all rounded up, sentenced, imprisoned, or even executed.

After World War II, the government focused its efforts on national construction and reconstruction, allowing organized crime to seize the opportunity. Western criminal organizations primarily originated in Italy, where political instability and unemployment provided fertile ground for their growth.

Even after Italy's unification, the situation remained chaotic, with groups like the Mafia brazenly supporting Mussolini and infiltrating the government. During World War II, they supported the American landing in Sicily, controlled the region, and even rose to positions of mayor and town leader, establishing close ties with the political world in a frenzy.

However, once the government frees up resources, these Western criminal organizations in America and Western Europe will inevitably face their demise, their glory days gone.

Originally, San Jose didn't want to bother with these people, but since they dared to block his path to wealth, he had no choice but to deal with them.

After finishing his tasks, San Jose prepared to go to the courthouse to observe the trial proceedings and see how Cordoba's chief judge would handle the 'Byrd Brotherhood' criminal gang.

He wasn't particularly interested in pre-trial reviews or lawyer debates, so he entered the audience seating area through a small door only when the verdict was being read.

By this time, the sentencing had already begun. Mad Dog Rooney, with his shaved head and tattooed arms, had a bloodthirsty look in his eyes, veins bulging on his face. Both his hands and feet were bound by heavy chains. San Jose also spotted Limp Benny and other high-ranking members and enforcers. The courtroom was large, and many familiar faces filled the audience seats.

"Due to the lack of conclusive evidence, with only some human remains found in the sewage, the evidence is insufficient to prosecute for murder…"

"…The Byrd Brotherhood is a heinous criminal organization. Rooney 'Dog' Dougal, the leader of the Byrd Brotherhood, is charged with intentional assault, robbery, incitement, and insult… Multiple charges combined, he is sentenced to 13 years in prison… to be transferred to the Patagonia prison."

"The gang's second-in-command, Benny Groot, is charged with intentional homicide, incitement, robbery, and insult, sentenced to life imprisonment, without parole… Chaco Prison."

"…The Fallen Angel Bar… the casino… to be sealed off by the police department. A series of properties and fixed assets will be seized, auctioned, and deposited into the national treasury."

Human rights lawyer Ido Koleh said, "Looking at the past, present, and future, this trial in Cordoba is a just and great trial in Argentina, marking a new stage in Cordoba's justice." Regarding this cliché,

San Jose didn't stand up to applaud, but watched silently. The surrounding audience cheered instead. If he didn't know the history, San Jose might have cheered for this trial as well. But knowing the general direction of things, he felt that the Byrd Brotherhood's actions were truly insignificant. The future military government would be the true transgressors of human limits, the real executioners.

Ultimately, the main focus of the trial was on the Byrd Brotherhood's high-ranking members. The young 'cannon fodder' mostly received sentences of six months to a year for minor offenses like fighting, and some even left Cordoba, making it impossible to bring them to justice.

It can only be said that Argentina's current level of criminal investigation is insufficient. The Byrd Brotherhood was indeed skilled at handling evidence, and no key evidence was found, so they could only let it go. Moreover, there were people intentionally or unintentionally shielding them behind the scenes, so even Benny only received a life sentence.

Most members were sentenced to 1-5 years in prison and sent to prisons in other provinces for separate confinement.

San Jose was helpless. Benny was just a hitman in charge, and the real executioner was the leader, Rooney, who was only sentenced to 13 years in prison, which was very frustrating. Due to insufficient evidence collection, San Jose couldn't interfere with the judiciary and was powerless to change the outcome.

San Jose wasn't particularly knowledgeable about criminal offenses, especially their practice of feeding people to pigs, so he couldn't know how many people had been killed.

He could only comfort himself that it probably wasn't too many. Benny's life sentence was only because he accidentally killed a subordinate once, and was reported by other underlings, with the body and key evidence found, leading to his sentencing.

In terms of results, San Jose was basically satisfied with the trial. The city hall even praised the police department. Their accomplice, Champs, was stripped of his councilman qualifications and was rumored to be going through a divorce with his wife recently. Abraham was even fine, only suspended from his duties for a month for investigation.

After hearing the verdict, San Jose silently sat in his seat. Mad Dog Rooney had turned into a dead dog. When he saw San Jose, he jumped up frantically, only to be held down firmly. That fierce look in his eyes,

like a hungry wolf, made San Jose wonder if he had been too lenient. Should he consider finding someone to kill him, since they had already become enemies? But he decided against it. San Jose considered himself a law-abiding citizen of Argentina.

"I am irreconcilable with evil," San Jose repeatedly chewed on this sentence in his heart. Although it was said by a character in a comedy movie, it was indeed a positive statement and had some meaning.

Rooney was quite miserable, but completely undeserving of sympathy. Thinking about it, in the most glorious moment of his life, he went from heaven to hell, ending in three hours.

San Jose didn't care about the Byrd Brotherhood's angry gazes. Some people could be educated.

He simply made a cutting motion across his neck with his hand, scaring Rooney, who looked like he had seen a ghost, collapsing to the ground. The bailiffs on both sides couldn't hold him down. San Jose couldn't help but sneer, thinking how long this Mad Dog Rooney could last. Now, he was just a dead dog.

If Rooney was a mad dog, then San Jose now was a fierce tiger ready to extend its sharp claws.

San Jose turned and left the courthouse, looking at the scales of the goddess of justice with disdain.