Side Hustlers gang); see also United States v. Lava, 181 F.3d 183, 190 (1st Cir.1999) (explaining “[m]embers of the Latin Kings signal their affiliation by sporting beads and other accouterments (including tattoos) in the gang’s colors-black and gold”); United States v. Bethal, 245 Fed.Appx. 460, 475-76 (6th Cir.2007) (McKeague, J., dissenting) (noting gangs use particular colors and symbols to create a group identity and rely on permanent markings, such as tattoos, to indicate gang membership). The government further established, through expert witness testimony, only active Latin Kings members can wear the gang’s colors and display the teardrop tattoo, which one earns by committing a violent crime on behalf of the gang. See United States v. Sparks, 949 F.2d 1023, 1026 (8th Cir.1991) (<HOLDING>). Moreover, although denying an affiliation
holding that active participation in a criminal street gang means that there is a relationship between the defendant and the gang that is more than nominal passive inactive or purely technical and that defendant must devote all or a substantial part of his time and efforts to the gang holding the district court properly admitted expert testimony on defendants active gang membership holding that evidence of gang involvement was properly admitted to prove motive for participating in the alleged crimes holding appellate counsel did not provide ineffective assistance of counsel by failing to appeal district courts decision to admit evidence that defendant was a member of a gang because gang membership was relevant to show motive and intent holding that the district court properly admitted expert testimony to interpret contract provisions having a specialized meaning in the railroad industry