Crime & Safety

Laurel Gang Leader Sentenced to 60 Years

Leader of Latin Kings gang sentenced for racketeering, conspiracy. Man ordered numerous violent crimes including murder, fire bombing and robbery.

A Laurel man who founded the Latin Kings gang in Maryland has been sentenced to 60 years in prison for conspiracy charges, announced United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein.

U.S. District Judge Alexander Williams sentenced Erick Roman, 34, whose aliases include “Erick Javier Sierra,” “Malian-T” and “King Malian-T,” was sentenced last week to 60 years in prison, followed by five years of supervised release, for conspiracy to participate in a racketeering enterprise in connection with his gang activities as a member and leader of the Almighty Latin King and Queen Nation/Latin Kings.

According to court documents and statements made during Roma’s hearing, the Latin Kings is a violent street gang with thousands of members across the country and overseas.

Find out what's happening in Laurelwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

“As the founder and leader of a Latin Kings tribe in Maryland, Mr. Roman orchestrated a series of violent crimes, including a murder, fire bombings and robberies,” said Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Criminal Division. “As this case shows, the Justice Department is committed to working with state and local law enforcement to target the leadership of local gangs and make our communities safer.”

Members of the Latin Kings are traditionally given “king names” or “queen names” -- alaises they are known as by members of the gang and others on the street. At the local level, groups of Latin Kings are organized into “tribes,” including, the Royal Lion Tribe, MOG, Sun Tribe and UTL.

Find out what's happening in Laurelwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Prosecutors contend that Roman brought the Latin Kings to Maryland and founded the Royal Lion Tribe. He served as the Inca of the tribe, and in that capacity sanctioned or ordered numerous violent acts, including a home invasion robbery of a drug dealer at the Marylander Condominiums in Langley Park; the robbery of a prostitute at a motel in Laurel; the fire bombing of an apartment in July 2007; the fire bombing of a house in January 2008; and the murder of John Realpe-Montoya in April 2008.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

To request removal of your name from an arrest report, submit these required items to arrestreports@patch.com.