Latin Kings gang member sentenced to 50 months for illegal gun possession

A member of the Latin Kings street gang was sentenced to 50 months in federal prison for illegally possessing a firearm, Acting U.S. Attorney Joseph H. Thompson announced on Thursday.

Jorge Olivares, a/k/a “Stomper,” 23, pled guilty in April to possessing a firearm as a felon in a case that stemmed from a Dec. 2023 traffic stop.

The indictment stated that amid high levels of violence in Minneapolis, Minn., police officers responded to a report of a suspicious vehicle. They found Oliveres asleep in the vehicle’s driver’s seat and saw a firearm—a Springfield Armory Hellcat 9mm semiautomatic pistol—on the car’s floorboard.

The pistol was ready to fire, with a round loaded in the chamber and twelve rounds in the magazine, and was within easy reach of the defendant.

Officers also found more than 6 grams of cocaine in the car. When he was arrested, Olivares was wearing a sweatshirt reflecting his ongoing affiliation with the Latin Kings.

At sentencing, the government argued that Olivares’s unlawful possession of a firearm posed a considerable risk to the community, especially in light of his extremely serious and violent criminal history.

In 2018, Olivares was convicted of first-degree aggravated assault and first-degree aggravated robbery, after Olivares shot two victims and stole their car. In another incident recorded on video, Olivares carried out a drive-by shooting of a residence while yelling the gang slogan “King Love” and flashing a gang sign.

“The defendant is a violent member of the Latin Kings who has repeatedly shot people and brought violence to our streets,” said Acting U.S. Attorney Joe Thompson.

“Even after spilling blood, he armed himself again, showing utter disregard for the law. The people of Minnesota deserve safety—not shootouts. Whether it’s the Highs, the Lows, the Bloods, or the Latin Kings, at the federal level we will continue to use every tool we have to put violent gang members behind bars,” Thompson explained.

Olivares will be required to serve at least 85% of his federal sentence incarcerated before becoming eligible for parole, and will be subject to 2 years of supervised release, thereafter.

The case was the result of an investigation conducted by the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives (ATF) with assistance from the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension (BCA), the United States Marshals Service (USMS), the Minneapolis Police Department (MPD), and the Richfield Police Department.

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Minnesota Crime Watch & Information publishes news, info and commentary about crime, public safety and livability issues in Minneapolis, the Twin Cities and greater Minnesota.

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