Luis Felipe (gang leader)

Last updated
Luis Felipe
LuisFelipe.jpg
Felipe in an interview.
Born (1962-05-06) May 6, 1962 (age 60)
Other namesKing Blood
OccupationFormer street gang leader
Criminal statusImprisoned at ADX Florence supermax prison in Fremont County, Colorado
Conviction(s) 1995
Criminal chargeMultiple counts of first-degree murder
PenaltyLife imprisonment plus 45 years without parole

Luis Felipe, also known as "King Blood", is a Cuban-American former gang leader and is the founder of the New York chapter of the Latin Kings (ALKN) street gang.

Born in Havana, Cuba, Felipe came to the United States in the Mariel Boatlift in 1980. Six years later, in 1986, after fleeing Chicago, he founded the New York chapter of the Latin Kings. [1]

In 1995, he was convicted of ordering multiple murders from prison by writing to members of the Latin Kings on the outside. Judge John S. Martin Jr. sentenced him to life imprisonment plus 45 years. Furthermore, the judge added extraordinary conditions, surprising even prosecutors. Judge Martin said Felipe must serve the sentence in solitary confinement. He forbade him to write or be visited by anyone except his lawyer and close relatives, of whom Felipe has none. Finally, the judge said that he himself, rather than the Federal Bureau of Prisons, would control the case. [2] However, the appellate court recognized that federal statutes generally allow only the attorney general, through the Bureau of Prisons (BOP) to determine the conditions of confinement imposed on federal prisoners, [3] but that other statutes, [4] allow district courts to set special conditions of confinement on defendants convicted of racketeering. [5]

Felipe is currently incarcerated at ADX Florence. [6]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">José Padilla (criminal)</span> American terrorist incarcerated in a US federal prison

José Padilla, also known as Abdullah al-Muhajir or Muhajir Abdullah, is a United States citizen who was convicted in a federal court of aiding terrorists.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Latin Kings (gang)</span> Hispanic and Latino street gang based in Chicago, Illinois, United States

The Almighty Latin King and Queen Nation is one of the largest Hispanic and Latino street and prison gangs worldwide. The gang was founded by Puerto Ricans in Chicago, Illinois in 1954.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">ADX Florence</span> Federal prison located in Fremont County, Colorado, US

The United States Penitentiary, Florence Administrative Maximum Facility is an American federal prison in Fremont County near Florence, Colorado. It is operated by the Federal Bureau of Prisons, a division of the United States Department of Justice. ADX Florence, which opened in 1994, is classed as a supermax or "control unit" prison, thus providing a higher, more controlled level of custody than a maximum security prison. ADX Florence forms part of the Federal Correctional Complex, Florence, which is situated on 49 acres of land and houses different facilities with varying degrees of security, including the United States Penitentiary, Florence High.

The NETA Association is the name of a gang that began in the Puerto Rico prison system and spread to the United States mainland. Although Puerto Rico has many small street gangs claiming its poorer neighborhoods, NETAS is by far the largest and most dominant, controlling the illegal drug trade in the island's prison system.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Metropolitan Correctional Center, Chicago</span> U.S. federal prison

The Metropolitan Correctional Center, Chicago is a United States federal prison in Chicago, Illinois, which holds male and female prisoners of all security levels prior to and during court proceedings in the Northern District of Illinois, as well as inmates serving brief sentences. It is operated by the Federal Bureau of Prisons, a division of the United States Department of Justice.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States Penitentiary, Atwater</span>

The United States Penitentiary, Atwater is a high-security United States federal prison for male inmates in unincorporated Merced County, California. The institution also includes a minimum-security satellite camp. It is operated by the Federal Bureau of Prisons, a division of the United States Department of Justice.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Metropolitan Detention Center, Brooklyn</span> United States federal administrative detention facility in Brooklyn, New York City

The Metropolitan Detention Center, Brooklyn is a United States federal administrative detention facility in the Sunset Park neighborhood of Brooklyn, New York City. It holds male and female prisoners of all security levels. It is operated by the Federal Bureau of Prisons, a division of the United States Department of Justice.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thomas Silverstein</span> American murderer (1952–2019)

Thomas Edward Silverstein was an American criminal who spent the last 42 years of his life in prison after being convicted of four separate murders while imprisoned for armed robbery, one of which was overturned. Silverstein spent the last 36 years of his life in solitary confinement for killing Corrections Officer Merle Clutts at the Marion Penitentiary in Illinois. Prison authorities described him as a brutal killer and a former leader of the Aryan Brotherhood prison gang. Silverstein maintained that the dehumanizing conditions inside the prison system contributed to the three murders he committed. He was held "in a specially designed cell" in what is called "Range 13" at ADX Florence federal penitentiary in Colorado. He was the longest-held prisoner in solitary confinement within the Bureau of Prisons at the time of his death. Many prison guards refused to talk to Silverstein out of respect for Clutts.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States Penitentiary, Marion</span> Prison near Marion, Illinois, United States

The United States Penitentiary, Marion is a large medium-security United States federal prison for male and female inmates in Southern Precinct, unincorporated Williamson County, Illinois. It is operated by the Federal Bureau of Prisons, a division of the United States Department of Justice. The facility also has an adjacent satellite prison camp that houses minimum security male offenders.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States Penitentiary, Lewisburg</span> High-security US federal prison for male inmates

The United States Penitentiary, Lewisburg is a medium-security United States federal prison in Pennsylvania for male inmates. It is operated by the Federal Bureau of Prisons, a division of the United States Department of Justice. An adjacent satellite prison camp houses minimum-security male offenders.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Angola Three</span> Prison inmates in solitary for decades

The Angola Three are three African-American former prison inmates who were held for decades in solitary confinement while imprisoned at Louisiana State Penitentiary. The latter two were indicted in April 1972 for the killing of a prison corrections officer; they were convicted in January 1974. Wallace and Woodfox served more than 40 years each in solitary, the "longest period of solitary confinement in American prison history".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States Penitentiary, Florence High</span> United States federal prison in Colorado

The United States Penitentiary, Florence High is a high-security United States federal prison for male inmates in Colorado. It is operated by the Federal Bureau of Prisons, a division of the United States Department of Justice. USP Florence High is part of the Federal Correctional Complex, Florence, which is situated on 49 acres (20 ha) of land and houses different facilities with varying degrees of security. It is named "Florence High" in order to differentiate it from the United States Penitentiary, Florence ADMAX, the federal supermax prison located in the same complex.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">United States Penitentiary, Terre Haute</span> High-security federal prison in Indiana, US

The United States Penitentiary, Terre Haute is a maximum-security United States federal prison for male inmates in Terre Haute, Indiana. It is part of the Federal Correctional Complex, Terre Haute and is operated by the Federal Bureau of Prisons, a division of the United States Department of Justice. USP Terre Haute houses a Special Confinement Unit for male federal inmates who have been sentenced to death as well as the federal execution chamber. Most inmates sentenced to death by the U.S. federal government are housed in USP Terre Haute prior to execution, with few exceptions. FCC Terre Haute is located in the city of Terre Haute, 70 miles (110 km) west of Indianapolis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Federal Correctional Complex, Terre Haute</span> United States federal prison complex

The Federal Correctional Complex, Terre Haute is a United States federal prison complex for male inmates in Indiana; much of the complex grounds is in Terre Haute, though portions are in unincorporated Vigo County. It is operated by the Federal Bureau of Prisons, a division of the United States Department of Justice, and consists of two facilities:

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Henri Young</span> American convicted bank robber and murderer

Henri Theodore Young was an American convicted bank robber and murderer who, while serving one of a series of prison terms, attempted a 1939 escape from Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary with four other inmates. During the escape attempt two inmates were shot, and one died of his wounds. All survivors were quickly recaptured. Two of the men, Young and Rufus McCain, were sentenced to solitary confinement and served the terms at Alcatraz for a period of three years. Eleven days after re-entering the Alcatraz general prison population in 1942, Young murdered fellow escapee McCain.

The District of Columbia Department of Corrections (DCDC) is a correctional agency responsible for the adult jails and other adult correctional institutions for the District of Columbia, in the United States. DCDC runs the D.C. Jail.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Federal Detention Center, Houston</span>

The Federal Detention Center, Houston is a United States federal prison in Downtown Houston, Texas which holds male and female inmates prior to and during court proceedings, as well an inmates serving short sentences. It is operated by the Federal Bureau of Prisons, a division of the United States Department of Justice. It is in proximity to Minute Maid Park.

Alberto Rodriguez was a Puerto Rican member of the FALN who received a sentence of 35 years for seditious conspiracy and other charges. He was sentenced in 1985, and incarcerated first at United States Penitentiary in Lewisburg, PA, and later at the federal penitentiary at USP Beaumont, TX. However, he was released early from prison, after President Bill Clinton extended a clemency offer in August 1999. Alberto and 10 other Puerto Rican prisoners were released on September 10, 1999.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Penal labor in the United States</span>

Penal labor in the United States is explicitly allowed by the 13th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution: "Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction." Unconvicted detainees awaiting trial cannot be forced to participate in labor programs in prison as this would violate the Thirteenth Amendment.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Solitary confinement in the United States</span>

In the United States penal system, upwards of 20 percent of state and federal prison inmates and 18 percent of local jail inmates are kept in solitary confinement or another form of restrictive housing at some point during their imprisonment. Solitary confinement generally comes in one of two forms: disciplinary segregation, in which inmates are temporarily placed in solitary confinement as punishment for rulebreaking; and administrative segregation, in which prisoners deemed to be a risk to the safety of other inmates, prison staff, or to themselves are placed in solitary confinement for extended periods of time, often months or years.

References

  1. Federal Prison Reform- Super Jail and Solitary Confinement Policy Esquire, March 2nd 2009
  2. Testing the Limits of Punishment; Unusually Severe Life Sentence vs. Society's Need for Safety NY Times, October 26, 1997
  3. 18 U.S.C. § 3621, 4001(b)
  4. 18 U.S.C. § 3582(d)
  5. United States v. Felipe, 148 F.3d 101 (2nd Cir. 1998)
  6. "Federal Bureau of Prisons". Bop.gov. Retrieved 2012-11-26.