Lawyer slams gang inquiry

She wants charges dismissed against her client, suspected of being a Latin King.

By COLLEEN JENKINS, Times Staff Writer
Published October 4, 2007

TAMPA - Ever since authorities raided a purported Latin Kings gang event in August 2006, defense attorneys have grumbled in public and private about how prosecutors and detectives conducted their investigation.

In a motion filed Wednesday, one attorney took her protest to a new level.

Lyann Goudie claims law enforcement officers encouraged a confidential informant to revitalize the Latin Kings organization in Tampa, then stood by as he threatened violence against people who did not attend its meetings.

Goudie said her client, Samuel Alvarado of Lake Worth, attended a meeting at the Caribbean American Club under the guise of raising bail money for a Latin Kings member. More than 100 officers from at least six different agencies raided the club.

Authorities charged Alvarado, 27, and 51 other defendants with racketeering.

The meeting was planned by Luis "Danny" Agosto, a felon who stole motorcycles, drove without a license, possessed a firearm and distributed counterfeit money while he worked as a confidential informant for law enforcement, according to Goudie's motion.

Citing misconduct by police and prosecutors, the veteran attorney has asked a judge to dismiss the charges against Alvarado and the remaining defendants who have not accepted plea deals.

"I've never seen a C.I. be allowed to do what this guy did," she said Wednesday.

Authorities didn't back down.

"We feel confident that this investigation was conducted in a thorough manner," said Tampa police spokeswoman Andrea Davis.

An attorney for the Hillsborough Sheriff's Office said Wednesday she had not yet seen the court filing.

Lead prosecutor Christine Brown was in trial and did not return a phone call.

In the motion, Goudie said Agosto helped authorities in order to receive probation instead of prison for theft charges he faced.

After his release from jail Jan. 30, 2006, Agosto made the plan to start a Latin Kings "tribe" in Tampa, Goudie wrote. He would be elected as the "enforcer," which gave him the power to order people to attend the meetings, he told a Tampa police officer.

"That'll be good," Officer Mathew Zalansky said in a recorded jail call.

Eventually, Agosto organized the fateful August 2006 meeting, threatening to have people beaten if they didn't show up, Goudie wrote. He instructed some attendees to arm themselves, she said.

Goudie was at turns incredulous and angry Wednesday discussing the allegations, which she backs in the motion with transcripts from sworn testimony and monitored phone calls.

In a footnote, she offers this suggestion:

"It is at this point that the defense feels compelled to warn any readers of this motion to make sure they are seated when reading this hogwash so that the reader doesn't fall down in disbelief and injure themselves."

Colleen Jenkins can be reached at cjenkins@sptimes.com or 813 226-3337.

A widespread gang

Created in the 1950s in Chicago, the ALKN (Almighty Latin King Nation) has developed into one of the largest and most organized street gangs in the U.S.

Latin Kings facts

- Most of the gang's income comes from sales of narcotics (typically cocaine).

- Gang initiation usually involves an act of violence.

- There are national chapters in at least 33 states, including New York, Indiana, Michigan, Florida and California.

Source: Drug Enforcement Administration

[Last modified October 3, 2007, 23:55:24]