Carlos Melara, MS-13 RICO Conspiracy, Massachusetts 2018

State: Massachusetts
Category: Organized Crime
Source: <a href="https://www.justice.gov/usao-ma/pr/ms-13-member-pleads-guilty-rico-conspiracy-involving-murder-2" style="color:#cc0000;" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">DOJ Press Release ÃƒÂ¢Ã¢â‚¬Â Ã¢â‚¬â€

A brutal crime has shaken the streets of East Boston, Massachusetts. Carlos Melara, a 21-year-old Salvadoran national, has pleaded guilty to racketeering conspiracy involving the murder of a 15-year-old boy on Constitution Beach in East Boston.

On September 7, 2015, Melara, along with Henry Josue Parada Martinez, a/k/a “Street Danger,” and another MS-13 member, participated in the murder of the teenage boy. The victim was targeted in a “catfishing” scheme, where the defendants used a fake Facebook account to trick the victim into thinking he was talking to a girl. In reality, the Facebook account was being controlled by MS-13 members to lure in suspected gang rivals so that the gang could murder them.

Melara picked up the victim on a scooter, pretending to be a friend of the girl that the victim was planning to meet for a date. He drove the victim to Constitution Beach, where the other MS-13 members were waiting to kill him. Melara and the other MS-13 members took turns attacking and stabbing the victim to death. As a reward for his participation in the murder, Melara was promoted to “homeboy” or a full member of MS-13.

On March 30, 2018, Melara pleaded guilty to conspiracy to conduct enterprise affairs through a pattern of racketeering activity, more commonly referred to as RICO conspiracy. U.S. District Court Judge F. Dennis Saylor IV scheduled sentencing for July 30, 2018.

Under the terms of the proposed plea agreement, Melara will be sentenced to between 30 and 40 years in prison. He will also be subject to deportation upon the completion of his sentence. This case is part of a larger effort to dismantle the MS-13 gang in Massachusetts.

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