Federal appellate opinions describe the Latin Kings as a nationwide gang organized in local tribes and group them with other People Nation affiliates. In South Carolina the public record is thin: local agency gang lists from 2005 and 2007, a 2019 Charleston County manslaughter plea by a man the Solicitor said is affiliated with the Latin Kings, and a 2008 SLED statement describing a Hampton County murder defendant as an "Insane Vice Lord." [1][2][3][4][5][6]
Origins
The public court record reviewed for this profile does not set out a founding history of the People Nation alliance. A 1997 Eighth Circuit opinion recorded police testimony that grouped the Latin Kings with "other People Nation affiliates" and set them apart from Folk Nation affiliates. [1]
A January 30, 2026 national news report on a federal operation against the Latin Kings cited Chicago as the place where the gang was founded. [7]
Footprint in South Carolina
On April 25, 2005, a Free Times feature reprinted by Police1 reported that the Richland County Sheriff's Department counted about 50 local gangs. The names it listed included Vice Lords and Latin Kings. [5]
On December 2, 2006, The Times and Democrat reported a researcher's statement that 157 of 500 gangs identified in South Carolina used Los Angeles and Chicago gang names, including Latin Kings. The same researcher said use of a name does not show a tie to the original gang. [8]
On August 8, 2007, a Joint Base Charleston commentary stated that the Latin Kings were present in the Charleston area. [6]
A St. Matthews police report summarized on July 28, 2019 recorded a resident's statement that men who threatened him on July 18, 2019 were members of the Latin Kings and MS-13. The item records a complaint only; it reports no arrest or charge. [9]
Structure and organization
In United States v. Cornell (March 16, 2015), the Fourth Circuit described the Latin Kings as a nationwide street gang with power centers in Chicago and New York. It stated that local groups are organized into "tribes" tied to a geographic area, led by a First through Fifth Crown. [2]
Cornell arose from the Greensboro, North Carolina tribe; the indictment described the enterprise as operating in the Middle District of North Carolina since at least 2005. No comparable South Carolina structure is described in a public court record located for this profile. [2]
Identifiers and symbols
Police testimony quoted by the Eighth Circuit in 1997 identified black and gold as colors of the Latin Kings and other People Nation affiliates. The same opinion noted that "folks" and "people" are terms of the Midwestern gangs Vice Lords and Black Gangster Disciples. These statements come from Iowa and Illinois records, not from South Carolina sources. [1]
Notable South Carolina cases
On January 10, 2019, Jobany Colon, 41, pled guilty in Charleston County to voluntary manslaughter and possession of a weapon during a violent crime. Judge Jennifer McCoy imposed 25 years for the May 19, 2017 shooting at Leslie and Nelson Streets in North Charleston. The Solicitor's Office stated that Colon is affiliated with the Latin Kings Gang. [3]
On September 10, 2008, SLED Director Reggie Lloyd announced murder charges against Myron Mitchell, 31, of Bronx, New York, and two Estill-area men in the August 16, 2008 shooting death of Antonio Holmes in Pineland. Lloyd described Mitchell as a significant member of the Bloods and an "Insane Vice Lord." WTOC reported the three men were believed to be Bloods members with ties in Estill and New York. [4][10]
The 2008 statement places an Insane Vice Lord label inside a Bloods description. The public reports do not explain that pairing, and the outcome of the charges was not located. [4]
Current status
On January 30, 2026, WLOS reported that the FBI's Operation Broken Crown against the Latin Kings had led to 50 arrests with 13 field offices taking part. The report named no South Carolina office or arrest. [7]
The South Carolina prosecutions located in this review that carry a public People Nation group label are the 2019 Colon plea and the 2008 Hampton County murder charges. The state public record for these groups is thin. [3][4]
