Former Boston Public Schools Dean Who Recruited Students into Latin Kings Gang Sentenced to Over Eighteen Years in Prison

BOSTON – A former member of the Massachusetts Almighty Latin King and Queen Nation (Latin Kings) who was, at the time, an academic dean in the Boston Public Schools was sentenced today in federal court in Boston on racketeering charges. The defendant attempted to murder a student that he had recruited into the gang and who was selling marijuana in the high school at the defendant’s direction.  

Shaun Harrison, a/k/a “Rev,” 63, was sentenced by U.S. Senior District Court Judge Rya W. Zobel to 218 months in prison, with credit for 98 months’ time served, and three years of supervised release. In August 2022, Harrison pleaded guilty to conspiracy to conduct enterprise affairs through a pattern of racketeering activity, more commonly referred to as RICO conspiracy. 

“The level of betrayal and dishonesty exhibited here is astonishing. Harrison was in a position of trust, but was actually a dangerous predator. As the academic dean at a Boston Public high school he lured and manipulated teenagers into a criminal enterprise that specialized in street terrorism.  Harrison was the architect of ruin for an entire generation of promising young lives – exclusively targeting and grooming vulnerable, at-risk youth. The very thing he was hired to work against. When one of his students – the victim in this matter – resisted his recruiting efforts, Harrison attempted to murder him in cold blood. In response to that student bravely doing the right thing and rejecting a life of crime, Harrison shot him point blank in the back of the head. Miraculously, he lived but now has partial face paralysis, neuropathy in his neck and face and permanent hearing loss among other significant injuries. The fact that Harrison continued to associate with Latin Kings members while in state prison for this attempted murder shows a callous disregard for the law and the harm he caused,” said United States Attorney Rachael S. Rollins. “Today’s sentence is a testament to the tireless efforts of our state, local and federal law enforcement partners. The dismantling of the Latin Kings organization is a significant milestone in our collective efforts to combat violent crime. We will continue to work to ensure that our schools and communities are safe.”

“Shaun Harrison led a double life – using his position as a high school dean to engage in violence and recruit at-risk youth into a violent criminal enterprise.  Today’s sentence ensures he will stay in prison and off our city streets for a significant period of time,” said Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division. “The convergence of gangs, guns, and drugs are a serious threat to our communities which the FBI and our law enforcement partners are working hard every day to address.”

In December 2019, a federal grand jury returned an indictment alleging racketeering conspiracy, drug conspiracy and firearms charges against dozens of leaders, members and associates of the Latin Kings. 

The Latin Kings are a violent criminal enterprise comprised of thousands of members across the United States. The Latin Kings adhere to a national manifesto, employ an internal judiciary and use a sophisticated system of communication to maintain the hierarchy of the organization. As alleged in court documents, the gang uses drug distribution to generate revenue, and engages in violence against witnesses and rival gangs to further its influence and to protect its turf. 

In 2015, Harrison was hired by the Boston Public Schools to serve as an academic dean at English High School. In that role, Harrison was to act as a mediator between teachers and students, contact families when students struggled, work with at-risk students and run an anger management program for 10 boys after school. While working at the Boston Public Schools, Harrison was a member of the Latin Kings, known as “Rev” or “King Rev,” and used his position as academic dean to recruit a number of the at-risk students into the gang. Harrison directed the recruited students to distribute marijuana and other drugs, which he provided, in the high school and collected the drug proceeds. A number of the students that Harrison recruited included Wilson Peguero, a/k/a “King Dubb,” who later became the “Inca” or the leader of the D5K Chapter of the Latin Kings; Alexis Peguero, a/k/a “King Lexi,” who became the “Cacique” or the second-in-command of the D5K Chapter of the Latin Kings; Dante Lara, a/k/a “King Nasty;” Oscar Pena, a/k/a “King O-Block;” and others. Wilson Peguero, Alexis Peguero, Lara and Pena were each charged in this case and sentenced to serve 30 months, 21 months, two years and 32 months in prison, respectively. 

In March 2015, Harrison came to believe that one of the students distributing drugs for him had stolen money from him, no longer wished to sell drugs and may tell the police about Harrison’s crimes. On March 3, 2015, Harrison met up with this student,  pulled out a handgun and shot the student in the back of the head at point blank range. This shooting was captured on video by a surveillance camera in the area. The student survived.  

Harrison was arrested soon thereafter and charged in Suffolk Superior Court with crimes related to the attempted murder. In 2018, Harrison was convicted by a jury and sentenced to approximately 25 years in state prison. 

While in state prison following his conviction, Harrison continued to associate with Latin Kings members, including through jail calls to other co-defendants. The Latin Kings supported Harrison during his state incarceration, discussed Harrison’s loyalty to the Latin Kings and refusal to implicate others and put money into his jail accounts.

In December 2019, a federal grand jury returned an indictment alleging racketeering conspiracy, drug conspiracy and firearms charges against 62 leaders, members and associates of the Latin Kings. In total, 60 defendants in the case have pleaded guilty. Of the 62 charged defendants in the indictment, two remain fugitives. All of the remaining 60 defendants have pleaded guilty and have been sentenced or are awaiting sentencing. Harrison is the 59th defendant to be sentenced. 

U.S. Attorney Rollins; FBI SAC Bonavolonta; Commissioner Carol Mici of the Massachusetts Department of Correction; Suffolk County District Attorney Kevin Hayden; Boston Police Commissioner Michael Cox; and New Bedford Police Chief Paul Oliveira made the announcement. Valuable assistance was also provided by the FBI North Shore Gang Task Force and the Bristol County and Suffolk County District Attorney’s Offices. Assistant U.S. Attorney Philip A. Mallard of Rollins’ Organized Crime & Gang Unit prosecuted the case.

This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.

The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The two remaining defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law