September 23, 2020 – The bosses continue to cop pleas in Operation Throne Down, the bust that led to the arrest of 62 Latin Kings members and associates on federal racketeering, drugs and attempted murder charges all up and down the east coast last December. Connecticut Latin Kings boss Hector (King Demon) Vega is the latest high-ranking Latin Kings leader to plead guilty to charges that could send him to prison for 20 years when he’s sentenced a little less than three months from now. Vega is accused of taking part in a physical assault of another Latin King in an act punishment for breaking gang rules. He pleaded guilty Tuesday per a DOJ press release. There’s been 15 guilty pleas since the spring. Chapter bosses from Boston, New Bedford and Worcester copped pleas in the summer. The Latin Kings reputed east coast boss Michael (King Merlin) Cecchetelli is awaiting trial. The 42-year old King Merlin is Italian and connected to the Springfield, Massachusetts mafia, a wing of New York’s Genovese crime family. His rise in the mostly Hispanic Latin Kings organization is unique. Federal authorities claim Cecchetelli reports directly to Latin Kings national administrators in Chicago. Cecchetelli’s underboss Jorge (King G) Rodriguez pleaded guilty in the Operation Throne Down case in July. King G hails from New Bedford. The enforcer for the Boston Latin Kings, Matt (King Nene) Palacios entered a guilty plea just last week.
