Massachusetts man last of 31 defendants sentenced after 11 firearms, 1+kilos of fentanyl, pill press, 15+ pounds of marijuana, $36,000 in cash seized

BOSTON – A Massachusetts man was sentenced Friday for racketeering and drug trafficking conspiracies stemming from his involvement in a gang.

According to the Massachusetts Department of Justice, 26-year-old Ricky Pina, a/k/a “Blake,” was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Leo T. Sorokin to 15 years in prison and three years of supervised release. In June 2022, Pina pleaded guilty to one count of RICO conspiracy.

Pina is one of 10 defendants indicted on various federal charges in June 2020, as part of a broader federal sweep targeting numerous NOB members and associates in which 31 total defendants were charged. All of Pina’s co-defendants have pleaded guilty to various charges and have been sentenced.

“For years, the NOB gang was responsible for brutal and senseless violence that terrorized neighborhoods in and around Dorchester. At the center of it all was Mr. Pina, who personally committed, planned, and supported the gang’s vicious crimes and illegal operations,” said First Assistant United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy. “Mr. Pina played a critical role in the brutal execution of a young man who was just getting a haircut. Mr. Pina’s conduct left behind a devastated family who lost a precious loved one. Dismantling these types of dangerous criminal enterprises – and prosecuting the individuals who run them – remains of the highest priorities of this office. This lengthy sentence should send a clear and direct message that those participate in gang violence will be identified, prosecuted and put behind bars.”

“ATF is proud to work shoulder to shoulder with BPD and many other agencies to be a force multiplier in the fight against violent crime. Together we partner to focus on making our communities safer,” said James Ferguson, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, Boston Field Division.

“Ricky Pina engaged in a ruthless campaign of gang-related violence, and trafficked deadly drugs, including fentanyl, to gain respect, reputation, and rank within this criminal enterprise. Today he learned his fate for victimizing the people of Dorchester, and beyond,” said Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division. “While Mr. Pina spends the next 15 years behind bars, the FBI will continue to leverage our law enforcement partnerships to keep sustained pressure on gangs like NOB, and others who are the primary drivers of violent crime in our communities.”

The Department of Justice stated that, NOB – an abbreviation for the Norton/Olney/Barry Streets in Dorchester – is a violent criminal enterprise whose members and associates are involved in numerous types of criminal activities throughout Massachusetts, including murders, attempted murders, armed robberies, drug trafficking, sex trafficking and illegal firearms offenses. In addition to multiple firearms and drugs being recovered during the investigation, numerous contraband items were also seized, including: 11 firearms; over one kilogram of fentanyl (including over 2,000 fentanyl pills manufactured to appear as commercial oxycodone pills); a commercial pill press; over 15 pounds of marijuana; and approximately $36,000 in cash.

According to the Department of Justice, Pina was an active, central and violent member of the gang who personally committed, planned and supported various crimes on behalf of the NOB. At sentencing, Pina was found responsible for the Sept. 5, 2017 murder of a young man in a Boston barbershop. On that date, at approximately 10:46 a.m., a hooded and masked individual shot and killed the victim, who was getting a haircut inside the barbershop. The shooter fled with another accomplice on a scooter.

At the time, Pina was subject to GPS monitoring for a state criminal case. GPS data for Pina’s location on the date of the shooting, corroborating images from various video cameras over several blocks near the shooting, witness interviews and analysis of several phones associated with NOB members/associates determined that the murder of the victim was a gang-related murder which Pina supported by providing the location of the victim to the shooter. Specifically, Pina repeatedly traveled to the barbershop in a relatively short period of time leading up to the murder, consistent with Pina gathering information about the victim. Pina’s final pass by the barbershop occurred within minutes of the victim being shot.

FAUSA Levy; Boston Police Commissioner Michael Cox; ATF SAC Ferguson; FBI SAC Bonavolonta; Brian Kyes, U.S. Marshal for the District of Massachusetts; Colonel John E. Mawn Jr., Interim Colonel of the Massachusetts State Police; New Bedford Police Chief Paul Oliveira; Quincy Police Chief Paul Keenan; Randolph Police Chief Anthony Marag; Brockton Police Chief Brenda Perez; Stoughton Police Chief Donna McNamara; Suffolk County District Attorney Kevin Hayden; Suffolk County Sheriff Steven W. Tompkins; Plymouth County Sheriff Joseph D. McDonald, Jr.; Bristol County District Attorney Thomas M. Quinn III; and Norfolk County Sheriff Patrick W. McDermott made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Michael Crowley and Sarah Hoefle of the Organized Crime & Gang Unit prosecuted the case.