Three alleged MS-13 members charged in alleged roles in Chelsea and Dartmouth murders

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.

According to the Massachusetts Department of Justice, William Pineda Portillo, a/k/a “Humilde,” 31, of Everett, and Jose Vasquez, a/k/a “Cholo,” a/k/a “Little Crazy, 31, of Somerville, are charged in a second superseding indictment with one count of conspiracy to conduct racketeering affairs through a pattern of racketeering activity (more commonly referred to as RICO or racketeering conspiracy) and one count of violent crime in aid of racketeering activity. Franklin Antonio Amaya Paredes, a/k/a “Tony,” 27, of New Bedford, was charged in a separate indictment with racketeering and violent crime in aid of racketeering. Pineda Portillo and Vasquez are currently in federal custody. Amaya Paredes is current 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 holding violent criminals accountable, no matter how much time has passed. The brutal acts of violence these defendants are accused of committing 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, alongside 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, over a decade later, the circumstances still stand out,” said Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division. “Today’s charges should make it clear to MS-13 members and their associates that medieval-style violence and senseless murder will not be tolerated in Massachusetts. The FBI’s North Shore Gang Task Force and its partners have put years of hard work into rooting out all the violence this transnational criminal organization has created and bringing those responsible to justice.”

According to the charging documents, Pineda Portillo and Vasquez allegedly conspired with other members of MS-13 to murder a 28-year-old man on Dec. 18, 2010, in Chelsea, Mass. Specifically, Pineda Portillo drove the victim and a group of MS-13 members to the murder scene –in Chelsea. There, the victim was found with 12 stab wounds to his head and chest. It is further alleged that Vasquez was one of the individuals who stabbed the victim and that his palm print was on the handle of a silver kitchen knife left at the murder scene.

During a 2016 investigation that targeted dozens of leaders, members and associates of MS-13 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 a leader of an MS-13 clique, Vasquez personally participated in racketeering activity 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, during which he was recorded discussing the need to locate and murder a member of MS-13 who he believed (incorrectly) was cooperating with law enforcement. Pineda Portillo was deported to El Salvador shortly before that indictment was returned. Approximately five years after the indictment, on May 10, 2022, Pineda Portillo was arrested as he crossed into Texas from Mexico. According to court documents, after being arrested at the border, Pineda Portillo admitted that he was a member of MS-13 and fingerprint analysis determined that there was an active arrest warrant for him. Pineda Portillo was then returned to the District of Massachusetts where he remains in federal custody pending trial.

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

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

Surveillance video and location information allegedly showed that Amaya Parades and Cornejo entered a Honda Pilot minivan that was tracked to the scene of the murder at the time gunfire was heard. According to court filings, Cornejo was found lying face down with multiple gunshot wounds. Several 9-millimeter shell casings were recovered near his body.

In the days following the 2020 murder, Amaya Parades was charged by state authorities with murder. During the investigation, Amaya Parades was allegedly identified as a member of MS-13 and determined that he had allegedly murdered Cornejo in order to gain influence and improve his position in MS-13. The investigation also allegedly revealed that Amaya Parades conspired to murder a witness following Amaya Parades’ arrest on state murder charges. On Sept. 11, 2024, Amaya Parades was indicted by a federal grand jury in connection with the 2020 murder and his alleged conspiring 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 District of Massachusetts as well as in New York, Virginia, Maryland, Ohio, Texas and California. The gang also maintains 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 in the gang, and the overall reputation of the gang, by participating in such violent acts.

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

            These indictments were brought as part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) Strike Force Initiative, which provides for the establishment of permanent multi-agency task force teams that work side-by-side in the same location. This co-located model enables agents from different agencies to collaborate on intelligence-driven, multi-jurisdictional operations to disrupt and dismantle the most significant 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, in New England; Chelsea Police Chief Keith Houghton; Suffolk County District Attorney Kevin Hayden; and Bristol County District Attorney Thomas M. Quinn III made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christopher J. Pohl, Brian A. Fogerty and Meghan C. Cleary of the Criminal Division are prosecuting the cases.