Michael Cotto, Racketeering Conspiracy, Massachusetts 2021

Michael Cotto, a former Regional Officer of the Massachusetts Almighty Latin King and Queen Nation, was sentenced to 54 months in prison and three years of supervised release for his role in a racketeering conspiracy. Cotto, also known as ‘King Gordo,’ pleaded guilty in January 2021 to conspiring to conduct enterprise affairs through a pattern of racketeering activity. The Latin Kings, a violent criminal enterprise, uses drug distribution to generate revenue and engages in violence against witnesses and rival gangs.

As a member of the New Bedford Chapter, Cotto admitted to his involvement in the drug distribution activity of the Latin Kings and various violent acts committed in furtherance of the gang. These acts include a February 2018 beating of an individual suspected of cooperating with law enforcement, and a December 2018 group assault where Cotto was observed striking the victim with a baseball bat.

In August 2018, Cotto conspired to ‘terminate’ a leader of the Fitchburg Chapter who was suspected of cooperating with law enforcement. On intercepted phone calls, Cotto discussed an elaborate ruse to trick this leader into attending a meeting at which he would be ambushed and beaten by other Latin Kings members.

Cotto’s sentencing marks the 28th defendant to be sentenced in the case, which was part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. The OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach.

The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The remaining defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Philip A. Mallard and Lauren Graber, and was made possible through the efforts of the FBI North Shore Gang Task Force, the Bristol County and Suffolk County District Attorney’s Offices, and other law enforcement agencies.

Related Federal Cases