Francisco Ortiz, Conspiracy to Commit Organized Crime, Maryland 2023

Francisco Ortiz, alias Francis Gabriel Ortis, ‘Pone,’ and ‘King Pone,’ 26, of Rockville, Md., was sentenced to 262 months in prison, followed by five years of supervised release, for conspiracy to commit organized crime, in connection with his activities as a member and leader of the Almighty Latin King and Queen Nation (Latin Kings).

The sentence was announced by Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Criminal Division; U.S. Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein; ATF Special Agent in Charge Theresa R. Stoop of the Baltimore Division; Montgomery County Police Chief J. Thomas Manger; Montgomery County State’s Attorney John McCarthy; Prince George’s County Police Chief Roberto L. Hylton; and Prince George’s County State’s Attorney Glenn F. Ivey.

“As part of his guilty plea, Ortiz admitted to being the leader of this violent gang, and today he is seeing the consequences of his actions,” said Assistant Attorney General Breuer. “By going after gang leaders, we weaken the gang structure, and ultimately achieve greater safety in the communities terrorized by gangs.”

“The strategy of combining the resources and intelligence of local, state, and federal law enforcement agencies to seek federal charges against organized crime is proving to be effective,” said U.S. Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein.

“This sentence demonstrates the seriousness and determination of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) and our law enforcement partners to bring violent criminals to justice,” said ATF Special Agent in Charge Theresa R. Stoop. “We have worked tirelessly, and will continue to do so, to protect our communities from the senseless violence and intimidation of gang activity. Violent criminals who participate in gang activity do not belong in our communities and we will work to remove them from the streets to ensure public safety.”

According to Ortiz’s guilty plea agreement, the Latin Kings are a violent street gang with thousands of members in the United States and abroad. The Latin Kings have a detailed and uniform organizational structure, including various “cliques,” codes of conduct, and rituals, as detailed in a “manifesto” written and distributed commonly to members across the country. Members of the Latin Kings also traditionally receive “King” or “Queen” names, which are distinct from their legal names, by which they are known to other gang members and third parties on the street. At the local level, Latin Kings groups organize into “tribes,” including the Royal Lion Tribe, MOG, Sun Tribe, and UTL.

As part of his guilty plea agreement, Ortiz admitted to being a member of the Royal Lion Tribe in Maryland and the Third Crown/Enforcer of the Tribe in mid-2007. Ortiz was the First Crown/Inca of the tribe in 2008, when members of the Royal Lion Tribe formed the MOG tribe. Ortiz led the MOG tribe until mid-2009, when he was removed from power; he then formed and became the leader of the UTL tribe. As the leader of the Latin Kings, Ortiz organized meetings where members paid dues and discussed gang business. As First Crown/Inca, Ortiz traveled to Pennsylvania, New York, and Florida, where he met with other members and leaders of the Latin Kings.

Ortiz’s leadership of the Latin Kings and his involvement in the gang’s activities were investigated by the ATF, Montgomery County Police, and Prince George’s County Police, with assistance from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Maryland and the Maryland State’s Attorney’s Office for Montgomery and Prince George’s counties.

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