In total, nearly 100 Latin Kings members and associates have faced state or federal charges since 2006. Six years later, in 1986, after fleeing Chicago, he founded the New York chapter of the Latin Kings. A sheriffs officer chased but lost Simmons. He told authorities Spann picked him up, and they called Simmons to let him know they were coming to get him. Before his sentence was handed down, Vargas, 35, expressed remorse for his actions with the Latin Kings. Prosecutors said Shaun Harrison, 63, lived a double life as a leader of the drug gang while working at a public high school. Rudy Rangels bodyguard said he tossed his gun into a bucket at a nearby carwash after he tried to shoot Donell Simmons. Jay NICE 06. Garcia's sentence comes a month after Augustin "Tino" Zambrano, considered the highest-ranking Latin King in the country, was sentenced to 60 years in prison. Chronister called Robles one of the top five ranking Latin Kings gang members in Florida and said Bravo is the gangs head narcotics supplier for the entire state of Florida.. CHICAGO (AP) Paul Vallas and Brandon Johnson will meet in a runoff to be the next mayor of Chicago after voters denied incumbent Lori Lightfoot a second term, His underlings arranged for a limousine to drive him back to Chicago from the Menard Correctional Center downstate. Spann was linked to all six. Detectives investigating Rangels death learned of an informant being used by the police departments Organized Crime Division whod recorded conversations with Nunnery in which he implicated himself in the shooting. The cases will be prosecuted by Florida Attorney General Ashley Moodys office. Zambrano is the highest-ranking Latin King leader to be convicted since Gustavo "Gino" Colon was given a life sentence in 2000. Colon was arrested two months after the shooting. Official websites use .gov Secure .gov websites use HTTPS Garcia was among a total of 31 co-defendants who were indicted in September 2008 or charged in a superseding indictment in October 2009. The Bloods and Crips in New York don't have a huge connection to the ones in California, therefore, it's not gonna last long without a structural background. WebThis paper reviews the history, characteristics, and threat of the Latin Kings, a gang that began in Chicago more than three decades ago and now has influence in 34 States. Twenty-four hours before his scheduled release, federal prosecutors indicted Colon and 12 others on charges of operating a $6 million drug operation out of an apartment at 2420 North Kedzie Avnue between 1995 and 1997. The states attorneys office dropped the murder, attempted murder, aggravated battery and conspiracy to commit murder charges. WebThe indictment charges three alleged high-ranking Latin Kings who enforced discipline and adherence to the gangs rules and were known as Regional Enforcers. The three Southeast Regional Enforcers charged in the indictment are: Raul Cavillo, 33; Joel Nunez, 39; and Carlos Padilla Jr., 35, all of Chicago. Please enter valid email address to continue. The Latin Kings have a long and violent history, and Colon was a controversial figure within the gang. CHICAGO Before gentrification changed the face of Wicker Park, swaths of the neighborhood were claimed by a handful of street gangs. Simmons was walking to a liquor store at Madison and Keeler when he saw Nunnery driving a red Ford Taurus with Spann in back and another man in the front. Colon absolutely deserves this opportunity to finally be out and be with his family and be free after all these years in custody, Pissetzky said. Spann already was in the Cook County Jail on an unrelated armed robbery charge when detectives wanted to talk with him and the others about Rangel. "We both lost loved ones in this stupid gang war. I joined the Latin Kings when I was 12 years old, and it taught me nothing but evil.". In the weeks before Rangels killing, he told authorities, he told Spann that I had a lick up for somebody that had a lot of jewelry.. Simmons then stated that he would talk to Det. Man, Shorty, dont miss him, Nunnery said. RICO and extortion conspiracy and assault with a dangerous weapon each carry a maximum of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. The indictment also alleges that gang members selling narcotics were forced to pay protection money to the organization. | Chicago Police Department. Though Simmons and two others went to prison in Rangels death, some details of the high-profile killing rapper DMX later recorded a tribute to Rangel called AYo Kato never came out. In an interview last year, Colon, while praising the Latin Kings for allegedly keeping peace in the prison system, denied that he was involved in narcotics trafficking. On June 4, 2003, late in the evening, the gang leader known as Kato was in the barber chair, his back to the open door, Game 1 of the NBA Finals between the San Antonio Spurs and New Jersey Nets on the TV. Donell Simmons cap was found on the sidewalk near Rudy Rangel Jr.s SUV. "The point was that he would never be free.". The action by a federal grand jury followed a joint investigation by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration, Chicago police and other agencies dating to early 1990s, according to law enforcement sources. Western Division Bro Man said a Cuba mother or Mexican wanted dude taken care of. Bro Man asked Donell to kill the dude for ten to thirty thousand dollars.. The Hillsborough County Sheriffs Office and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administrations Tampa office worked together on the investigation, dubbed Operation Checkmate, that led to the search of five homes in the Wimauma area last week, Sheriff Chad Chronister said at a news conference. HAMMOND, Ind. Its not clear when the judge overseeing the case will issue a ruling. Vargas was part of a more than 20 gang members who were indicted for their parts in multiple murders and drug trafficking. https://infotracer.com/criminal-records/gang-profiles/latin-kings Mr. Spann and Nunnery also were charged with soliciting murder, murder for hire and armed robbery. The nation's highest-ranking leader of the Latin Kings was sentenced to 60 years in federal prison Thursday. A detectives report on conversations regarding Rudy Rangel Jr.s killing that were overheard by a police informant. Spann turned down a plea deal, and Cook County Judge James Schreier found him not guilty. 219 S. Dearborn St., 5th Floor He told the informant, Martise tried to get him to merc the Puerto Rican stud, a detective wrote. Rockford: (815) 987-4444. Though prison phone calls are recorded, Colon frequently discussed gang business with his wife, Marisol. The Hillsborough County Sheriffs Office and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administrations WebFounded in Chicago during the early 1940s, The Latin Kings were born of the harsh conditions that many immigrants face when they first arrive in the United States. The leaders were said to be 32-year-old Fidencio Robles, one of the top five Latin Kings in Florida, and 30-year-old Omar Bravo, the head narcotics supplier in Florida. "I want you out clean so you don't have a monkey on your back and can come back to your family," Lozano said. Pissetzky filed a similar motion earlier this year, arguing for Colons release under the First Step Act, a reform bill signed into law in 2018 that aims decrease unnecessarily lengthy federal prison sentences. Bro Man told Donell about a lick that a Puerto Rican had done for 150 kilos of cocaine, a detective wrote after interviewing Simmons. Ware made a deal, pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit armed robbery, testifying against Simmons and getting an 11-year sentence. The U.S. Attorneys Office argues that Colon is serving a sentence that is within the advisory guidelines range and fully justified given his role as leader of the Latin Kings. Prosecutors have also focused heavily on Colons murder conviction in state court, a tactic that Pissetzky called a red herring., Its just unconscionable, I think, to keep somebody in prison for a drug offense for that long of a time, Pissetzky said. This sentence holds Garcia accountable for the barbaric enterprise known as the Latin Kings and his role in murder, attempted murder, shootings, beatings, drug trafficking, and other crimes, said Gary S. Shapiro, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois. In the end, Lozano sentenced Highland resident Vargas to 23 years in prison with five years of supervised release. According to the 25-count indictment, Colon--known as "Lord Gino"--used prison telephones and meetings with visitors at Menard to direct the gang's massive drug operations, including the purchase of cocaine and the wholesale distribution of drugs from an apartment building in the 2400 block of North Kedzie Avenue. And let us not forget that the crime that he stands convicted of is a drug offense, nothing more or nothing less.. Last week, Nedal Issa, who was the Inca of the Latin Kings Cicero Section of the 26th Street Region and who pleaded guilty, cooperated, and testified as a government witness, was sentenced to nearly 17 years in prison by U.S. District Judge Charles Norgle. He forbade him to write or be visited by anyone except his lawyer and close relatives, of whom Felipe has none. The following year, he was found guilty of murder and sentenced to 30 to 60 years in prison. "I pray that (the families of the victims) can find it in their hearts to forgive me though I know it will be a long time," Vargas said. Two men were sitting on the stairs to the barbershop, waiting to get in, when Simmons walked up. During his tenure, Amaya discussed 25 shootings committed by his underlings while expressing pride at the consistency of violence. r/NYStateOfMind: A subreddit to discuss New York & New Jersey drill/hip-hop and the Simmons ran with the bodyguard in pursuit and the sheriffs officers now less than a block away. But the drug deal was frustrated when an informant, along with undercover agents, confronted Herrera in a parking lot at 51st Street and South Kedzie Avenue. Days later, Ware said he heard on the street that Kato had ripped some Mexicans off for some dope and that they paid someone to kill him. A locked padlock Martise Nunnery 26, asthmatic and a member of the Unknown Vice Lords told authorities John told him about selling the watch to Rangel and that hed seen him wearing that, a diamond bracelet and a platinum necklace with a pendant. Before going into federal protective custody, they spent time at Guzmans cartel fortress in Mexico, which she wrote about in the 2017 book Cartel Wives., Pedro Flores (left) and his twin brother Margarito Flores, once Chicagos biggest drug traffickers. Two high-level leaders of the Latin Kings gang were among 21 people arrested in a months-long investigation that resulted in the seizure of large amounts of fentanyl and other drugs in southern Hillsborough County, officials said Monday. He was being held without bail Monday. Caesar Diaz, 24, of Calumet City, was charged with one count of attempting to distribute cocaine. Simmons denied any involvement in the incident, but did state that he had read about it in the newspapers and inquired as to whether or not the newspapers were accurate in saying that offenders had been arrested and had confessed, detectives wrote. He figured Nunnery was going to rob him but not just for the jewelry. Late that May, Ware, Nunnery and Spann picked up Simmons at his West Side home, according to a prosecutors report. Tha Ladder 04. This investigation was held to hold the leaders of the Latin Kings like Zambrano responsible for their iron-fisted leadership of a criminal enterprise responsible for murders and attempted murders, said Patrick J. Fitzgerald, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, in a statement. Nunnery goes on to say that it was Squeaky, Bro Man and himself in the car but only Squeaky got out and did it. Nunnery says that the police were right there when this happened., Eight days later, the informant spoke with a man who said Nunnery tried to hire him to kill Rangel before turning to Spann. WebThe defendant, Vicente Garcia, Jr., 35, the Supreme Regional Inca of the Almighty Latin King Nation, who oversaw the day-to-day illegal activities of all factions of the gang with In 2000, a federal judge sentenced Colon to life. Makin Rounds Feat. They told Simmons they wanted to compare his DNA with hair recovered from a New Jersey Nets cap found on the sidewalk outside the barbershop. Spann already was under scrutiny by the Chicago Police Department. Vargas' attorney, Todd Pugh, said his client lived a double life, as a father of five children, union bricklayer and Little League coach, while he was involved with the drugs and violence of the gang. As agents drew their weapons, Herrera, who was sitting in his Chevrolet Tahoe, rammed into several law enforcement vehicles before beginning a chase through the city. The 66-year-old Colon, Pissetzky said, has high blood pressure, hypertension and prediabetes. Three other high-ranking leaders of the Latin Kings street gang were also convicted at trial of charges involving narcotics trafficking and related violence that plagued numerous neighborhoods across the city. Spann, whose attorney Tod Urban didnt return messages seeking comment, already is facing as many as 70 years in prison, having pleaded guilty three months before the indictment to being a felon in possession of a weapon, obstruction of justice involving witness tampering and cocaine possession with intent to distribute. WebAs for leaders, the Latin Kings have not been able to sustain a peaceful environment within their gangs. 2013 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. 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