Federal officials reported on May 4 that a 63-year-old man who lived a double life as a high school dean in Boston and a member of the Latin Kings gang was sentenced to more than 18 years in prison after pleading guilty to racketeering crimes.
Shaun Harrison served as an academic dean at English High School, according to NBC Boston. In 2018, he was sentenced to more than 20 years in jail for shooting a student he had reportedly recruited to sell drugs for him.
Prosecutors said Harrison shot the student because he suspected he had taken money from him and didn’t want to sell narcotics any longer, and the convicted man also believed the student could inform police about the illegal deed. However, the student who was shot in the back of the head by Harrison survived.
Prosecutors accused Harrison of exploiting his position as an academic dean to recruit students for the Latin Kings gang, which resulted in his racketeering conviction. The convicted guy received three years of supervised release as well as credit for 98 months served.
“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,” Joseph R. Bonavolonta, the Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division, said. “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.”
The Latin Kings gang is described by federal authorities as “a violent criminal enterprise comprised of thousands of members across the United States.”