U.S. Department of Justice
Federal Bureau of Investigation
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U.S. Department of Justice Federal Bureau of Investigation |
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| In Reply, Please Refer to Release No. |
219 South Dearborn Street Chicago, Illinois 60604 |
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August 21, 2003 Three More Arrested in Aurora Latin Kings Investigation Thomas J. Kneir, Special Agent in Charge of the Chicago office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and William J. Lawler, Chief of the Aurora, Illinois Police Department (APD) announced today the arrest of three more Aurora residents, as part of the ongoing investigation into the criminal activities of the Latin Kings Street Gang. The arrests were made earlier today, without incident, by FBI Special Agents and Gang Crimes Officers from the APD. To date, this FBI led investigation has resulted in the arrest of 44 known or suspected members and associates of the Latin Kings in the Aurora area. Those arrested today are identified as TARA MILLER, age 24, of 619 North Edgelawn; LUZ MONTEZ, age 30, of 1676 Shamrock Court and JESSICA VASQUEZ, age 23, of 424 Beach Street. MILLER, MONTEZ and VASQUEZ were all charged in criminal complaints filed in U.S. District Court in Chicago with one count each of making false statements, which is a felony offense. According to the complaints, MILLER, MONTEZ and VASQUEZ have knowingly and intentionally provided false information to the FBI, thwarting attempts to locate and apprehend MIGUEL MONTEZ, who has been the subject of a nationwide manhunt since October of 2002. MIGUEL MONTEZ was one of 11 alleged Latin Kings that were charged with violation of federal drug laws on October 22, 2002. All three defendants are scheduled to appear before U.S. Magistrate Judge Sindey I. Schenkier at 2:00 PM today, at which time they will be formally charged. If convicted of the charges, MILLER, MONTEZ and VASQUEZ each face a possible sentence of up to 5 years incarceration. The public is reminded that a complaint is not evidence of guilt and that all defendants in a criminal case are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. EDITOR's NOTE: A copy of the complaints filed in this case are available from the Chicago FBI Press Office at (312) 786-2645. |
