WASHINGTON - A Cedar Lake, Indiana Latin Kings gang member,
was sentenced to 324 months in prison followed by five years of supervised
release after pleading guilty to conspiracy to commit racketeering activity and
conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute cocaine and marijuana for his
role and participation in the Latin Kings street gang, announced Assistant
Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski of the Justice Department’s Criminal
Division and U.S. Attorney Thomas L Kirsch II for the Northern District of Indiana.
Sergio M. Robles aka Checko, 30, was sentenced by U.S.
District Court Judge Jon E. DeGuilio. At
sentencing, Robles was held responsible for participating in the December 2003
murder of Jonathan Zimmerman in Hammond, Indiana, and the May 2008 murder of
Jose Cortez in East Chicago, Indiana. The Latin Kings suspected Zimmerman was
involved in a drug transaction with counterfeit currency. Accordingly,
Zimmerman was shot and killed by a co-defendant. Jose Cortez was shot to death
by another co-defendant because the Latin Kings believed Cortez was a member of
a rival street gang. According to documents in this case, Robles possessed a
firearm in furtherance of the gang’s activities and was involved in a
conspiracy to distribute 150 kilograms of cocaine and 1,000 kilograms of
marijuana.
“Today’s 27-year sentence demonstrates that our focused
efforts on investigating and prosecuting gang members committing violent acts
on the streets of Northern Indiana, past or present, is long from over,” said
U.S. Attorney Kirsch. “Just last week we
had a member receive a 28-year sentence.
Our community and law enforcement partnerships are some of the best and
we will continue investigating and prosecuting these type of cases.”
According to the third superseding indictment returned on
Nov. 16, 2011, the Latin Kings is a nationwide gang that originated in Chicago
and has branched out in Indiana and throughout the United States, including to
Texas. The Latin Kings is a well-organized street gang that has specific leadership
and is comprised of regions that include multiple chapters. The third
superseding indictment filed in this case alleges that the Latin Kings gang was
responsible for at least 19 murders in the Chicago/Northwest Indiana area and
Big Spring, Texas.
In addition to Robles, 19 other co-defendants, including two
former Chicago police officers, entered guilty pleas and were previously
sentenced for their roles in the racketeering conspiracy. One co-defendant,
Martin Anaya, was convicted of racketeering and drug conspiracies at trial and
subsequently sentenced to 30 years in prison.
This case was investigated by the FBI; the Bureau of
Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives; the Drug Enforcement
Administration; the Griffith Police Department; the Chicago Police Department;
the East Chicago Police Department; the Hammond Police Department; the Highland
Police Department; the Houston Police Department and the Lubbock Police
Department. This case was prosecuted by the Department of Justice Criminal
Division’s Organized Crime and Gang Section (OCGS) and the U.S. Attorney’s
Office for the Northern District of Indiana.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Joseph A. Cooley (formally a Trial Attorney
with OCGS) and David J. Nozick prosecuted this case.
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