Your email address will not be published. New Bedford Latin Kings: Who they are and what they've done In December 2019, a federal grand jury returned an indictment alleging racketeering conspiracy, drug conspiracy and firearms. He is captured discussing Latin Kings business and affairs and featured in a YouTube video with other members of the New Bedford Chapter depicting her wearing gang colors, and flashing gang signs. Secure .gov websites use HTTPS Mass. Avitable is the 56th defendant to be sentenced, the U.S. Attorneys Office said in a release. Massachusetts U.S. Attorney Andrew Lelling said in a press conference that the operation, dubbed Operation Throne Down, was focused on targeting the East Coast leadership of the gang. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Two Latin Kings members had disrespected Michael Cecchetelli, the alleged kingpin of the notorious gang's East Coast operations. Official websites use .gov United States Attorney Andrew E. Lelling; Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Field Division; and Commissioner Carol Mici of the Massachusetts Department of Correction made the announcement today. Street brawls, beatings, shootings and robberies regularly occurred within, or in front of, the apartment buildings. Michael Silvia Criminal activity in the Eastern Region is led by Michael Cecchetelli, a/k/a King Merlin, 40, of Springfield, who holds the title of Supreme East Coast Regional Overseer. Blocks away from a New Bedford charter school, Latin Kings members cooked crack cocaine, collected guns, shot at rivals and shot music videos where they boasted about their criminal. BOSTON A former leader of the New Bedford Chapter of the Massachusetts Almighty Latin King and Queen Nation (Latin Kings) was sentenced today on racketeering and drug charges. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. 1 Courthouse Way, Suite 9200 Multiple search warrants executed by the New Bedford Police Department targeted locations where Mendez resided, and drug were seized as a result. The properties were used by gang members to hide weapons,. Acting United States Attorney Nathaniel R. Mendell; Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; Commissioner Carol Mici of the Massachusetts Department of Correction; and New Bedford Police Chief Joseph C. Cordeiro made the announcement today. The U.S. Attorney's Office said 28-year-old Jose Vasquez, known as "King Fearless," will also spend three years on probation following his release from prison after his . The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. Guadalupe is a current member of the New Bedford Chapter of the Latin Kings. Investigators obtained a series of Facebook messages from January related to the planned beating of an individual who had posted photographs of himself throwing up Latin Kings gang signs, though he is not affiliated with the gang. U.S. Attorney's Office, District of Massachusetts, Defendant instructed Latin Kings members to attack rival gang members, Former Leader of New Bedford Latin Kings Chapter Sentenced for Racketeering and Cocaine Conspiracy, Fitchburg Man Pleads Guilty to Wide-Ranging Cocaine Conspiracy, Boston Man Sentenced for Cambridge Bank Robbery, Leader of Boston Drug Trafficking Organization Pleads Guilty to Heroin and Fentanyl Conspiracy and Possessing a Firearm in Furtherance of Distribution Activities, Former Leader of New Bedford Latin Kings Chapter Sentenced For Racketeering and Cocaine Conspiracy. Authorities identified 380 Latin Kings members who in the Department of Correction's custody as of December. Amsterdam. Valuable assistance was also provided by the FBI North Shore Gang Task Force and the Bristol County and Suffolk County District Attorneys Offices. Standard-Times BOSTON A former member of the New Bedford Chapter of the Massachusetts Almighty Latin King and Queen Nation ("Latin Kings") was sentenced Tuesday on racketeering. BOSTONForty-six individuals, many of whom are alleged to be leaders, members, significant criminal associates, or drug suppliers of the Latin Kings street gang, operating in New Bedford, Massachusetts, were charged today on federal and state drug offenses. BOSTON It's seven years in prison for a former enforcer for the New Bedford chapter of the Latin Kings gang who pleaded guilty last year to racketeering conspiracy. In October was convicted of witness intimidation in New Bedford District Court, and placed on one year of probation. Raekwon Paris, a/k/a "King Debo," 25, was sentenced by U.S. Senior District Court Judge Rya W. Zobel to 22 months in prison and three years of supervised release. Police in New Bedford say. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Have a question about Government Services? Valuable assistance was also provided by the FBI North Shore Gang Task Force and the Bristol County and Suffolk County District Attorneys Offices. According to New Bedford Police report, on June 20, a convenience store on Purchase Street was robbed by two men carrying guns. Springfield:413-785-0235 Assistant U.S. 2023 www.southcoasttoday.com. Earlier . The United States Attorneys Office for the District of Massachusetts; Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; Commissioner Carol Mici of the Massachusetts Department of Correction; and New Bedford Police Chief Joseph C. Cordeiro made the announcement. In December 2019, a federal grand jury returned an indictment alleging racketeering conspiracy, drug conspiracy and firearms charges against 62 leaders, members and associates of the Latin Kings. Three apartment buildings in New Bedford were turned into "trap houses" used by the Latin Kings, according to federal prosecutors. Up through the 17th century, the area was the territory of the Wampanoag Native American people. The Latin Kings are a violent criminal enterprise comprised of thousands of members across the United States. Kevin Guadalupe, a.k.a. The following defendants have been charged: MSB, (Former) State Team Head of Security, Former New Bedford Member, now in North Carolina, A Massachusetts man was found guilty in the District of Columbia of felony and misdemeanor . More than 500 law enforcement agents began making arrests around 4 a.m. Thursday after the four-year investigation into the gang. As part of his plea agreement, Avitable agreed to forfeit the three apartment buildings he owned in New Bedford that were used as trap houses by the Latin Kings. A lock ( BOSTON A Boston man has been indicted in connection with the September 2022 robbery of a bank in Brookline. As alleged in court documents, the gang uses drug distribution to generate revenue, and engages in violence against witnesses and rival gangs to further its influence and to protect its turf. New Bedford Latin Kings bought houses they planned to renovate and flip in an elaborate scheme to launder drug money, feds say a move one organized crime expert called an indicator of how . The state defendants will be prosecuted by District Attorney Sutters Office. Mendez is the 50thdefendant to be sentenced in the case. Served 20 years in the United States Air Force. A lock ( The office stated that Vasquez is the 53rd defendant to be sentenced in the case. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF. December 5, 2019 According to the U.S. Attorneys Office, Avitable rented apartments to Latin Kings members knowing they would be uses to sell, store and manufacture drugs. The government recommended a sentence of 18 months incarceration. Cecchetelli is alleged to be the conduit between each of the Eastern Region states and the Latin Kings national leadership in Chicago. Lock More than 60 members of the Almighty Latin King and Queen Nation commonly known as the Latin Kings are facing federal charges after the FBI and other agencies carried out a large-scale. BOSTON ( 1420 WBSM) The former landlord associated with the New Bedford chapter of the Latin Kings who owned the "trap houses" used for their drug activity was sentenced today in federal court for racketeering and drug offenses. The Latin Kings are a violent criminal enterprise comprised of thousands of members across the United States. Both victims fled in the vehicle and survived. Secure .gov websites use HTTPS Cecchetelli, a 40-year-old from Springfield with ties to the. U.S. Senior District Court Judge Rya W. Zobel scheduled sentencing for June 10, 2021. This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. Velazquez is a current member of the New Bedford Chapter of the Latin Kings. Official websites use .gov .hide-if-no-js { Two missing children, boys 14 and 16, were also recovered during the operation. The two great monetary corporations, the South-Sea Company and the Bank of England, made proposals to parliament on the 20th of May ensuing. This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. View this $1800000 4 bed, 3.0 bath, 4875 sqft single family home located at 27 Marcus Garvey Blvd built in 1931 on Zillow. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found athttps://www.justice.gov/OCDETF. Wednesday, April 13, 2022 Former Member of New Bedford Latin Kings Sentenced to Over Eight Years in Prison for Racketeering Conspiracy BOSTON - A former member of the New Bedford Chapter of the Massachusetts Almighty Latin King and Queen Nation (Latin Kings) was sentenced today on racketeering charges. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. '. Criminal activity in the eastern region is alleged to be overseen by 40-year-old Michael Cecchetelli, also known as King Merlin. Reyes-Smith is a former member of the New Bedford Chapter of the Latin Kings, who is believed to have left the area and returned to North Carolina. Mendez admitted that these victims were targeted because one of the victims previously objected to Latin Kings members conducting drug transactions in the victims driveway. In another incident in July 2019, Santiago-Torres fired multiple times at rival gang members as they fled a fight with the Latin Kings in a New Bedford street. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, there are 11 active Latin Kings chapters in Massachusetts. Another Latin Kings member then fired gunshots at the two victims striking them. A Latin Kings lieutenant out of New Bedford who a federal prosecutor said stands out among over 60 defendants for his violent past asked a judge Wednesday to be released amid coronavirus. Avitable was a key player in facilitating the Latin Kings expansion in the area, as the apartment buildings provided powerful infrastructure to recruit members and lure vulnerable juveniles to join the gang with the promises of housing and brotherhood, the U.S. Attorneys Office said. The Latin Kings adhere to a national manifesto, employ an internal judiciary and use a sophisticated system of communication to maintain the hierarchy of the organization. Lopez-Velez is a probationary member of the New Bedford Chapter of the Latin Kings. Mendez was also present during a December 2018 group assault in a garage, where co-defendant Michael Cotto, a/k/a King Gordo, was captured participating in a group assault of another individual and observed striking the victim with a baseball bat. According to the office,Vasquez also admitted totaking part in a May 2018 double shooting in which Latin Kings members chased the victims to a vehicle, then surrounded it and slashed their tires. Have a question about Government Services? A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States. The East Coast and Massachusetts leadership of the Almighty Latin Kings and Queen Nation (Latin Kings), including more than 60 members and associates, face federal charges. Valentin-Soto is a member and the former Cacique of the New Bedford Chapter of the Latin Kings. New Bedford Mayor Mitchell comments on Councillor-elect Olivers posts on transgender rights, New Bedford man arrested by MBTA Police for allegedly attempting to rob passenger, Three arrested in New Bedford carjacking, including juvenile female, Washington D.C. man, Massachusetts man found guilty of felony, misdemeanor charges related to Capitol Breach. Mendez has historically held various leadership positions. The Latin Kings adhere to a national manifesto, employ an internal judiciary and use a sophisticated system of communication to maintain the hierarchy of the organization.