MS-13 Gang Member Admits to Racketeering Conspiracy — in Boston

A member of the “La Mara Salvatrucha,” or “MS-13” gang pleaded guilty to racketeering conspiracy charges in a Boston federal court on September 30. The conviction was related to the stabbing of a rival gang member in Chelsea, Massachusetts in December 2015.

Mauricio Sanchez, 29, also known as “Tigre,” pleaded guilty to a charge of conspiracy to conduct enterprise affairs through a pattern of racketeering activity, more commonly referred to as racketeering conspiracy, according to information obtained from the Department of Justice’s District of Massachusetts by Breitbart Texas. Sanchez was indicted earlier this year with 60 other MS-13 gang members. The 33-page indictment is attached below. Five other co-conspirators have already pleaded guilty to charges stemming from this indictment.

The deal follows a three-year investigation that led to the indictment of the criminal activities of alleged leaders, members and associates of the MS-13 gang in the commonwealth. Sanchez was identified as a member of the MS-13 Eastside Loco Salvatrucha (ESLS) clique. His role was to “jump in” new members of the gang. He paid street dues to fund the MS-13 activities both in Massachusetts and El Salvador. Under the plea bargain, Sanchez admitted that he and other members of the gang were involved in stabbing a member of a rival gang. The victim of that crime was reported to be a member of the rival 18^th Street gang. The incident occurred near Bellingham Square in Chelsea in December 2015, officials stated.

In the original indictment, Sanchez was also charged for immigration violations for fraudulent documents. No information as to Sanchez’ nationality or immigration status have been provided by the DOJ at this time. Sanchez pleaded guilty before U.S. District Court Judge Dennis Saylor IV. The judge scheduled a sentencing hearing for December 22 where Sanchez could face up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000.

The MS-13 gang originated out of El Salvador but has engaged in criminal activity across the United States. In September, Breitbart Texas reported on another MS-13 gang member who was charged in a Maryland homicide. In that case, Oscar Delgado-Perez, 28, is accused of brutally stabbing 18-year-old Christian Villagran-Morales to death in what appears to be a gang’s bragging rights.

Border Patrol agents in south Texas recently captured three MS-13 members from Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador as they re-entered the United States from Mexico. A few days earlier, another MS-13 gang member from Honduras was captured by Border Patrol agents in southern California.

Breitbart Texas has been covering this violent transnational gang for several years. In July 2013, four MS-13 gang members were convicted on counts of murder, armed robberies, and firearms offenses. That trial lasted for four weeks. At that time, FBI officials indicated members of the MS-13 gang were active in at least 42 states and had between 6,000 and 10,000 members.

Bob Price serves as associate editor and senior political news contributor for Breitbart Texas. He is a founding member of the Breitbart Texas team. Follow him on Twitter @BobPriceBBTX.

MS-13 Boston Indictments by Bob Price on Scribd