Three suspected MS-13 members indicted for alleged involvement in Chelsea and Dartmouth killings – Fall River Reporter

BOSTON – Three alleged members of La Mara Salvatrucha, or MS-13, have been indicted for their alleged roles in two separate murders in Massachusetts in December 2010 and July 2020.

According to the Massachusetts Department of Corrections, William Pineda Portillo, aka “Humilde,” 31, of Everett, and Jose Vasquez, aka “Cholo,” aka “Little Crazy, 31, of Somerville, are charged in a second supplemental indictment in one count Conspiracy to conduct racketeering transactions through a pattern of racketeering activities (more commonly referred to as RICO or racketeering conspiracy) and charged with one count of violent crimes in furtherance of racketeering activities. Franklin Antonio Amaya Paredes, a/k/a “Tony,” 27, of New Bedford, was charged in a separate indictment with racketeering and violent crimes in aid of racketeering. Pineda Portillo and Vasquez are currently in federal custody. Amaya Paredes is currently 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 tireless commitment of this office and our law enforcement partners to hold perpetrators of violence accountable, no matter how much time has passed. The brutal acts of violence these defendants are accused of 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 U.S. Attorney Joshua S. Levy. “Our office, along with our law enforcement partners, will use every tool available to disrupt and dismantle these operations one piece at a time and bring those responsible for senseless violence to justice.”

“What these men allegedly did to their victims was particularly heinous – so much so that the circumstances continue to stand out more than a decade later,” 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 violence and senseless murder will not be tolerated in Massachusetts. The FBI’s North Shore Gang Task Force and its partners have worked hard for years to eradicate the violence caused by this transnational criminal organization and bring those responsible to justice.”

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

During a 2016 investigation targeting dozens of MS-13 leaders, members and associates 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 (TLS), clique of MS-13. In addition to being the leader of an MS-13 clique, Vasquez personally participated in extortion activities and several acts of violence on behalf of MS-13.

Pineda Portillo was also charged with RICO conspiracy as a result of the same investigation. He was recorded discussing the need to locate and assassinate a member of MS-13 who he (incorrectly) believed was cooperating with law enforcement. Pineda Portillo was deported to El Salvador shortly before the charges were returned. Approximately five years after the indictment, on May 10, 2022, Pineda Portillo was arrested while crossing into Texas from Mexico. According to court documents, after his arrest at the border, Pineda Portillo admitted to being a member of MS-13 and analysis of his fingerprints revealed that he had an active arrest warrant. Pineda Portillo was subsequently returned to the District of Massachusetts, where he will remain in federal custody pending trial.

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

According to charging documents, Amaya Paredes murdered a second 27-year-old victim in July 2020 near Horseneck Road in Dartmouth, Massachusetts. Specifically, Amaya Paredes is said to have lured Jose Cortez Cornejo from New Bedford to a family celebration, which then drove Amaya Paredes Cornejo to the crime scene, where he shot him.

Surveillance video and location information allegedly showed Amaya Parades and Cornejo getting into a Honda Pilot minivan that was tracked to the scene when gunshots were heard. According to court documents, 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 with murder by state authorities. During the investigation, Amaya Parades was allegedly identified as a member of MS-13 and discovered that he had allegedly murdered Cornejo to gain influence and advance his position in MS-13. The investigation also allegedly revealed that following Amaya Parades' arrest on state murder charges, she conspired to murder a witness. On September 11, 2024, Amaya Parades was indicted by a federal grand jury in connection with the 2020 murder and his alleged conspiracy 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 New York, Virginia, Maryland, Ohio, Texas and California. The gang also has a strong 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 gang's overall reputation by participating in such acts of violence.

The racketeering and conspiracy to commit murder charges carry a life sentence, five years of supervised release and a $250,000 fine. The felony charge of aiding and abetting racketeering with murder carries a sentence of life in prison or the death penalty and a $250,000 fine. The charge of conspiracy to commit racketeering carries a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a $250,000 fine. Sentences will be imposed by a federal district court judge based on the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

These charges were brought as part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) Strike Force initiative that calls for the establishment of permanent multi-agency task force teams that work side-by-side in the same location. This co-located model allows agents from multiple agencies to work together in intelligence-based, cross-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-led, multi-agency approach. For more information about the OCDETF program, see

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.