Jose Vasquez, MS-13 Leader Pleads Guilty to RICO Conspiracy, Massachusetts 2018

MS-13 Leader Pleads Guilty to RICO Conspiracy

BOSTON – In a federal court in Boston, Jose Vasquez, a/k/a "Little Crazy," 24, pleaded guilty to racketeering conspiracy, also known as RICO or racketeering conspiracy.

Vasquez, a member and local leader of the Trece Locos Salvatrucha (TLS) clique of MS-13, personally participated in racketeering activity on behalf of the organization. One such incident involved an attempted murder of a suspected gang rival on September 8, 2014, in which the victim was stabbed multiple times. Vasquez was involved in this incident along with another MS-13 member, Angel Pineda, a/k/a "Bravo."

Separately, Vasquez assisted other MS-13 members in burying evidence relating to a murder in East Boston in January 2016. On January 10, 2016, Edwin Diaz, a/k/a "Demente," Rigoberto Mejia, a/k/a "Ninja," and other MS-13 members murdered a 16-year-old boy who MS-13 members believed to belong to the rival 18th Street gang. Vasquez helped another MS-13 member hide evidence related to the murder, including a knife and machete used in the crime, as well as bloody clothes worn by those who committed the crime. This evidence was later recovered by law enforcement.

After a multi-year investigation, Vasquez was one of dozens of alleged leaders, members, and associates of MS-13 named in a superseding indictment unsealed in January 2016 that targeted MS-13’s criminal activities in Massachusetts. Vasquez is the 46th defendant to be convicted as part of that ongoing prosecution. Pineda previously pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 93 months in prison. Diaz and Mejia previously pleaded guilty to racketeering conspiracy involving murder and are awaiting sentencing.

Under the terms of the proposed plea agreement, Vasquez will be sentenced to between 15 and 18 years in prison. U.S. District Court Judge F. Dennis Saylor IV scheduled sentencing for August 30, 2018.

A multi-agency investigation led to Vasquez’s guilty plea, with U.S. Attorney Andrew E. Lelling, along with other law enforcement officials, announcing the charges. The remaining defendants charged in this case are presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

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