KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The member of a violent St. Joseph, Mo.,
gang pleaded guilty in federal court today to his role in a RICO conspiracy
that involved acts of murder, attempted murder, drug trafficking and armed
robberies, among other crimes, as part of a criminal enterprise.
Luis Calderon-Oliveras, 27, of St. Joseph, pleaded guilty
before U.S. District Judge Roseann Ketchmark to the charge contained in a Jan.
12, 2017, federal indictment.
By pleading guilty today, Calderon-Oliveras admitted he was
involved in a conspiracy to violate the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt
Organizations Act (RICO) in 2012 and 2013. The criminal enterprise engaged in
acts of violence, including murder and attempted murder, armed assault, armed
robbery, extortion and witness intimidation. The gang trafficked in heroin,
cocaine, crack cocaine, methamphetamine and marijuana. Although members of the
St. Joseph gang were often referred to as Latin Kings, the enterprise was not
formally affiliated with the Almighty Latin King and Queen Nation.
Members of the enterprise enriched themselves and funded
their operations with the proceeds of drug trafficking, robbery, burglary and
extortion. They targeted rival drug dealers for robbery, not only to obtain the
robbery proceeds, but to eliminate and deter competition in the drug trade and,
at times, to extort a financial stake in future drug sales from the rival by
offering “protection.” Members of the enterprise also extorted money from
innocent victims by offering “protection” from future robberies and acts of
violence.
Leaders and members of the enterprise promoted a climate of
fear in the community through repeated waves of gunfire, beatings and
destruction of property, among other crimes of violence and intimidation. The
gang was based in St. Joseph but also operated in Kansas, Iowa and
Massachusetts, among other places, and recruited many of its members and
associates from Puerto Rico.
Calderon-Oliveras admitted that he and several of his
co-conspirators agreed to physically assault and attempt to murder by gunfire
the person identified in the indictment as “Co-Conspirator #3.”
Calderon-Oliveras participated in the physical assault on Sept. 10, 2012, in
Estherville, Iowa, and helped his co-conspirators involved in the shooting
avoid arrest after the fact.
Calderon-Oliveras also admitted that he and a co-conspirator
robbed Sack-N-Save grocery store in St. Joseph at gunpoint on Sept. 28, 2012, a
crime for which he pleaded guilty in in 2013 in state court.
Under the terms of today’s plea agreement, Calderon-Oliveras
will be sentenced to 10 years in federal prison without parole. A sentencing
hearing will be scheduled after the completion of a presentence
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys
Patrick C. Edwards, David Raskin and Emily A. Morgan. It was investigated by
the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives, the St. Joseph, Mo.,
Police Department and the Buchanan County, Mo., Sheriff’s Department.
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