A member of the MS-13 gang has pleaded guilty in a federal court in Boston to participating in a racketeering conspiracy. William Pineda Portillo, also known as "Humilde," aged 31 from Everett, admitted to one count of conspiracy to conduct racketeering activities. Senior U.S. District Court Judge William G. Young has set the sentencing for July 8, 2025.
Pineda Portillo was charged alongside co-defendant Jose Vasquez by a second superseding indictment in September 2024. Vasquez pleaded guilty last week to a charge related to violent crime in aid of racketeering.
MS-13 is a transnational criminal organization with members across the United States and Central America. The gang operates through various cliques, including Trece Locos Salvatrucha (TLS), which Pineda Portillo was part of in Somerville. The gang's members are required to commit acts of violence against rival gangs and informants.
The charges against Pineda Portillo include conspiring with others to murder a man on December 18, 2010, in Chelsea, Massachusetts. Law enforcement found the victim with multiple stab wounds after responding to a call near Route 1's Fifth Street on-ramp. Evidence later linked MS-13 members, including Vasquez and Pineda Portillo, to the crime.
After fleeing to El Salvador before being questioned about his involvement, Pineda Portillo returned to the United States and was involved in further criminal activities until his arrest on May 10, 2022, while attempting an illegal border crossing into Texas from Mexico.
U.S. Attorney Leah B. Foley announced this development alongside several law enforcement officials from different agencies involved in the investigation and prosecution process.
The charge of racketeering conspiracy carries potential penalties of up to 20 years imprisonment, three years supervised release, and fines up to $250,000. Sentencing will be based on federal guidelines.
This case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) Strike Force Initiative aimed at dismantling significant criminal organizations threatening the United States through multi-agency collaboration.
