Member of the Lynn Chapter of the Trinitarios Pleads Guilty to Racketeering Conspiracy

BOSTON - A member of the Lynn Chapter of the Trinitarios pleaded guilty today to racketeering charges, including his participation in two murders and two other attempted murders.

Westyn Lantigua, a/k/a "Wes," a/k/a "Muddy," 25, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to conduct enterprise affairs through a pattern of racketeering activity, more commonly referred to as RICO conspiracy. U.S. Senior District Court Nathaniel M. Gorton scheduled sentencing for Aug. 12, 2026. Lantigua was arrested and charged in February 2025.

The Trinitarios is a violent criminal enterprise comprised of thousands of members across the United States. The Trinitarios adhere to a Magna Carta, employ an internal hierarchy to organize and execute violence, and undertake extensive efforts to maintain the secrecy of the organization and its members.

During today's court proceeding, Westyn Lantigua admitted to his membership in the gang. Photographs and videos recovered in the investigation showed Lantigua wearing Trinitarios beaded necklaces, making Trinitarios gang signs with his hands and associating with other members and leaders.

Lantigua also admitted to his participation in a June 2022 shooting outside of a fast-food restaurant in Lynn. Court documents describe Lantigua's white Mercedes driving past the drive-thru lane of the restaurant, where a gray vehicle believed to be used by rival gang members was in line. The gray vehicle was, in fact, occupied by two innocent female victims. Surveillance video showed Lantigua's white Mercedes parked across the street from the exit of the parking lot, waiting for the gray vehicle to leave.

As the gray vehicle left the fast-food restaurant parking lot, surveillance video showed Lantigua exit the white Mercedes and discharge numerous rounds from a fully automatic firearm at the gray vehicle. Responding officers found that both female victims occupants were hit by gunfire and survived, and the gray vehicle had 10 bullet holes. Officers also recovered 15 9mm casings. Review of Lantigua's cellular phones, showed photographs and videos of him possessing a fully automatic handgun around the time of the shooting. Additional review showed Lantigua in possession of distribution quantities of drugs.

Lastly, Lantigua participated in the Trinitarios conspiracy to conduct burglaries of convenience stores in Massachusetts and New Hampshire. Through these burglaries, the Trinitarios stole lottery tickets that they would cash in shortly after they were stolen. Lantigua participated in multiple such break-ins and was captured on video redeeming stolen tickets with other members of the Trinitarios.

In February 2025, federal racketeering charges were unsealed against 22 leaders and members of the Trinitarios. The charges were the result of a multijurisdictional investigation, dubbed Operation Paper Machetes, which began in the aftermath of four murders as well as a series of attempted murders and shootings that took place in Lynn in 2023, allegedly committed by the Trinitarios criminal enterprise and its members. In March 2025, a Lynn member of the Trinitarios was sentenced to 10 years in prison. In June 2025Links to other government and non-government sites will typically appear with the "external link" icon to indicate that you are leaving the Department of Justice website when you click the link., two members of the Trinitarios were charged with kidnapping a drug supplier. In July 2025, the leader of the Lynn Chapter was sentenced to 14 years in prison. In December 2025, two members of the Lynn Chapter, Michael Miliano and James Jimenez pleaded guilty to racketeering conspiracy. In April 2026, Luis Enrique Santana pleaded guilty. Lantigua is the tenth Defendant to plead guilty in the case.

The charge of conspiracy to conduct enterprise affairs through a pattern of racketeering activity, also known as "racketeering conspiracy" or "RICO conspiracy," provides for a sentence of up to life in prison, five years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

United States Attorney Leah B. Foley; Jeff Grimming, Acting Special Agent in Charge, Homeland Security Investigations in New England; Ted Docks, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; Essex County District Attorney Paul F. Tucker; Massachusetts State Police Colonel Geoffrey D. Noble; and Lynn Police Chief Christopher P. Reddy made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorney Philip A. Mallard of the Organized Crime & Gang Unit is prosecuting the case.

This case is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. HSTF Boston is comprised of agents and officers from HSI, FBI, DEA, ATF, USMS, IRS-CI, USPIS, DOL-OIG and DSS, as well as several state and local law enforcement agencies, with the prosecution being led by the United States Attorney's Office for the District of Massachusetts.

This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department's Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces and Project Safe Neighborhood.