Thursday, July 12, 2012

Lopez Jr. Under A Federal Plea Agreement Gets Three State Homicide Charges Dropped

Arthur Lopez Jr., aka, Roberto Gonzalez Orozco

Photo: U.S. Marshals Service

Reputed Latin King leader sentenced to 40 years in prison under a federal plea agreement.

By H. Nelson Goodson
July 12, 2012

Milwaukee - On June 22, Arthur Lopez Jr., 31, of Milwaukee, aka, "Junior," and "Red Rider" or "Roberto Gonzalez Orozco" a Latin King gang leader and drug trafficker was sentenced to 40 years in a federal prison. Lopez Jr. was also facing three state homicide charges, but during a plea agreement with federal prosecutors, the state murder charges were dropped. He pled guilty to eight federal counts of drug charges and two counts of weapon charges, according to federal court records.
Lopez Jr., if convicted on all state homicide charges, he would have been facing three life sentences without parole in Wisconsin. But under a federal plea agreement with Lopez Jr., the murder charges were dismissed.
In November 2010, Lopez Jr. a U.S. Citizen was taken into custody in Mexico after more than 10 years on the run, according to the U.S. Marshals Service.
The Mexican Federal Investigative Agency (AFI) apprehended Lopez Jr. in 2010. He was wanted in Wisconsin on charges of conspiracy to distribute, distribution of cocaine and three counts of 1st-degree intentional homicides.
The U.S. Marshals Service had been looking for Lopez Jr. for more than a decade. He apparently called the U.S. Marshals Service in Milwaukee back in January 2006 and mocked them about how they couldn't catch up to him.
A tip led the U.S. Marshals Service and the AFI to close in on him. Lopez Jr. at the time of his arrest was using the name of Roberto Gonzalez Orozco. He turned himself in to the U.S. Consulate in Monterrey to avoid an arrest by the AFI. But, the AFI arrested him and transported him to Mexico City where he was later extradited to the U.S. to face federal charges.
Lopez Jr., a member of the Milwaukee Latin Kings operated a torture chamber in the basement of his residence at the 700 block of W. Washington St. He was the last remaining member of the Lopez family to be taken into custody. Lopez Jr. was involved in a family south side drug operation connected with the Latin Kings in the late 1990's and was in charge of buying and selling large quantities of cocaine and marijuana.
Lopez Jr. engaged in a crime spree to expand the family drug operation, including the killing of a social worker at Social Development Commission (SDC) at 931 W. Madison St. Carlos "Hollywood" Hernandez Jr., 32, was just coming out of SDC in January 25, 1999 when Lopez Jr. wearing a mask and riding a bicycle approached Hernandez Jr. and fatally shot him at point blank. He then fled the scene.
Lopez Jr. was accused of driving a vehicle involved in a driveby fatal shooting. He participating in the driveby shootings of Maximilliano Castillo Jr., 19, and Venessa Rivas, 15, on August 11, 1999. Lopez's accomplice Luis Acevedo, 20, another gang member confessed to fatally shooting both Castillo and Rivas. Acevedo was convicted and sentenced to two life terms in prison.
On March 15, 2001, Lopez Jr. was charged in Milwaukee County with three counts of first-degree intentional homicide while armed. He was also subsequently charged in federal court with unlawful flight to avoid prosecution, including a charge for conspiracy to distribute cocaine on December 22, 1999.

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