District of Massachusetts | MS-13 members charged with racketeering and murder

BOSTON – Three alleged members of La Mara Salvatrucha, or MS-13, have been charged for their alleged roles in two separate murders in Massachusetts in December 2010 and July 2020.

William Pineda Portillo, aka “Humilde,” 31, of Everett, and Jose Vasquez, aka “Cholo,” aka “Little Crazy,” 31, of Somerville, are charged in one second, replacing the indictment with one count of conspiracy to commit racketeering through a pattern of racketeering activity (commonly known as RICO or racketeering conspiracy) and one count of violent crime in furtherance of racketeering activity. Franklin Antonio Amaya Paredes, aka “Tony,” 27, of New Bedford, was charged in a separate indictment with racketeering and crimes of violence in aid of racketeering. Pineda Portillo and Vasquez are currently in federal custody. Amaya Paredes is currently in state custody on related charges. All three will appear in federal court in Boston at a later date.

“The charges announced today reflect the relentless commitment of this office and our law enforcement partners to hold violent criminals accountable, no matter how much time has passed. The brutal acts of violence of which these defendants are accused demonstrate a complete disregard for human life and the rule of law. We will not allow MS-13 or any other violent criminal organization to terrorize our communities,” said Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy. “Our office, together with our law enforcement partners, will use every tool available to disrupt and dismantle these operations piece by piece and bring those responsible for senseless violence to justice.”

“What these men allegedly did to their victims was particularly heinous – so much so that the circumstances remain clear more than a decade later,” said Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division. “Today’s indictment should make it clear to MS-13 members and their associates that medieval violence and senseless murder will not be tolerated in Massachusetts. The FBI North Shore Gang Task Force and its partners have worked diligently for years to root out all the violence this transnational criminal organization has caused and bring those responsible to justice.”

According to charging documents, Pineda Portillo and Vasquez allegedly conspired with other members of MS-13 to kill a 28-year-old man on December 18, 2010 in Chelsea, Massachusetts. of MS-13 members to the murder scene – in Chelsea. The victim was found there with twelve stab wounds to his head and chest. It is further alleged that Vasquez was one of the persons who stabbed the victim and that his palm print was on the handle of a silver kitchen knife left at the scene of the murder.

During a 2016 investigation that targeted dozens of MS-13 leaders, members and associates in Massachusetts, Vasquez pleaded guilty to RICO conspiracy and was sentenced to 212 months in prison – a sentence he is currently serving. Vasquez was a member and local leader of the Trece Locos Salvatrucha, or TLS, clique of MS-13. In addition to being the leader of an MS-13 cabal, Vasquez personally participated in racketeering activities and multiple acts of violence on behalf of MS-13.

Pineda Portillo was also indicted for RICO conspiracy as a result of that same investigation, in which he was recorded discussing the need to track down and kill a member of MS-13, whom he believed (wrongly) to be cooperated with law enforcement. Pineda Portillo was deported to El Salvador shortly before the charges were filed. About five years after the indictment, on May 10, 2022, Pineda Portillo was arrested while entering Texas from Mexico. According to court documents, after Pineda Portillo was arrested at the border, he admitted to being a member of MS-13 and fingerprint analysis showed there was an active warrant for his arrest. Pineda Portillo was subsequently returned to the District of Massachusetts, where he remains in federal custody pending trial.

On September 11, 2024, Pineda Portillo and Vasquez were indicted by a federal grand jury in connection with the 2010 murder.

According to charging documents, Amaya Paredes allegedly murdered a second victim, who was 27 years old, in July 2020 near Horseneck Road in Dartmouth, Massachusetts. Specifically, it is alleged that Amaya Paredes lured the victim to a family party, after which Amaya Paredes drove away. the victim to the scene of the murder where he shot and killed the victim.

Surveillance video and location information allegedly showed that Amaya Parades and the victim entered a Honda Pilot minivan that was being followed to the murder scene at the time gunfire was heard. According to court documents, the victim was found lying face down with multiple gunshot wounds. Several 9-millimeter shell casings were found near the victim’s body.

In the days following the 2020 murder, Amaya Parades was charged with murder by state authorities. During the investigation, Amaya Parades was reportedly identified as a member of MS-13 and determined that he allegedly murdered the victim to gain influence and improve his position within MS-13. The investigation also allegedly revealed that Amaya Parades conspired to kill a witness following Amaya Parades’ arrest on state murder charges. On September 11, 2024, Amaya Parades was indicted by a federal grand jury in connection with the 2020 murder and his alleged conspiracy to murder a witness.

According to court documents, MS-13 is a violent, transnational criminal organization involved in murder, assault, extortion, kidnapping, obstruction of justice and drug trafficking. MS-13 operates in the Massachusetts District, as well as New York, Virginia, Maryland, Ohio, Texas and California. The gang also has a large presence in El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Mexico. MS-13 members commit violence, threats of violence, and intimidation, including murder and assault with deadly weapons, often firearms. MS-13 members maintain and enhance their status within the gang, and the gang’s overall reputation, by participating in such violent acts.

The racketeering and murder conspiracy charges carry a sentence of life in prison, five years of supervised release and a $250,000 fine. The charge of violent crime in aid of racketeering involving murder carries a penalty of life in prison or the death penalty and a $250,000 fine. The racketeering conspiracy charge carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a $250,000 fine. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based on the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

These charges were filed as part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) Strike Force Initiative, which provides for the creation of permanent multi-agency task force teams working side by side at the same location. This co-located model allows agents from different agencies to work together on intelligence-led, multi-jurisdictional operations to disrupt and dismantle major drug traffickers, money launderers, gangs and transnational criminal organizations. 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.

Acting U.S. Attorney Levy; FBI SAC Cohen; John E. Mawn Jr., interim colonel of the Massachusetts State Police; Michael J. Krol, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations, New England; Chelsea Police Chief Keith Houghton; Kevin Hayden, Suffolk County District Attorney; and Bristol County District Attorney Thomas M. Quinn III made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christopher J. Pohl, Brian A. Fogerty and Meghan C. Cleary of the Criminal Division are prosecuting the cases.

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