‘Latin Kings’ Gang Leader Freed by ‘First Step Act’ Arrested for Murder After Nationwide Manhunt

A notorious leader of the “Almighty Latin Kings” gang has been arrested for murdering a man less than a year after being freed from federal prison by the “First Step Act.”

Joel Francisco, 41, had been wanted since October 2nd for stabbing to death 46-year-old Troy Pine at a hookah lounge in the Federal Hill neighborhood of Rhode Island, Breitbart News reported. Last week, authorities confirmed that Francisco was arrested at a motel in the San Antonio, Texas area.

In February, Francisco — dubbed the “Crown Prince” of the Latin Kings gang in 2005 — was released from federal prison after President Donald Trump signed into law the First Step Act, promoted by a coalition of Democrats, Republicans, and progressive and libertarian nonprofits.

According to an investigative report by the Providence Journal‘s Brian Amaral and Katie Mulvaney, Francisco was convicted in 2005 for dealing crack cocaine and powder cocaine. The conviction was Francisco’s third drug conviction, thus he was given a mandatory life sentence in federal prison.

Trump to meet with Venezuela’s opposition leader after praising ‘terrific’ Maduro loyalist

ICE deputy director resigns from agency to run for Congress

Israel will honor the late Charlie Kirk with award for opposing antisemitism

Watch: Josh Hawley’s Simple Pregnancy Question Traps Dems’ Expert Witness So Thoroughly That She’s Reduced to a Repeating, Looping Mess… and She’s a Medical Doctor

Divine Judgement? Watch the Humiliating Moment Tim Walz Gets the ‘Tower of Babel’ Treatment as His Audio Goes Wild on National TV

Man runs into Florida street to save two young children who wandered away from rental home

Appeals judge seems skeptical of sentence for pro-Trump Colorado clerk Tina Peters

Obama wingman Eric Holder defended Walz’s vetting — then Minnesota’s fraud scandal erupted

Fox News Host Confronts Minneapolis Mayor to His Face on Dangerous ICE Rhetoric: ‘Here’s the Little Secret’

CDC urged by senators to combat ‘rapid rise’ in youth sports gambling

Cynthia Lummis endorses Hageman for Wyoming Senate seat

Trump’s Economy Just Took a Wrecking Ball to Biden’s ‘Mom Has to Work 3 Jobs’ Nightmare

Democrats request over $30 million for pro-LGBT United Nations agency in appropriations bill

Federal court clears California’s new House map boosting Democrats ahead of 2026 midterms

Protesters clash with federal officers after another ICE shooting in Minneapolis

After Trump signed the First Step Act into law, though, Francisco had his life sentence for crack dealing reduced and he was released in February of this year, along with the other 3,100 convicts released this year by the new law.

Before his release, Francisco pleaded with the court that he had turned his life around, noting his taking part in rehabilitation programs in prison, which advocates of the First Step Act readily cited to make their case that even violent convicts could be reformed and thus released.

On July 13, about six months after being released from prison, Francisco was accused of breaking into the home of his ex-girlfriend and charged with domestic violence. Three months later, on October 2nd, police said Francisco stabbed Pine to death and immediately skipped town in an attempt to evade murder charges.

“I just want an answer,” Pine’s nephew Jay Chattelle told the Providence Journal. “I just want to know what happened to my uncle. But at the same time, you’re thinking, ‘Once this is all done, Uncle Troy is still not here.’”

Before his release from federal prison, Providence law enforcement officials warned that the former gang leader would likely commit additional crimes if released.

“Some criminals deserve to spend their lives incarcerated,” Providence Police Department Deputy Chief Thomas Verdi told the Providence Journal. “Joel is one.”