Member of Violent Gang Pleads Guilty to Racketeering Involving Murder and Drug Trafficking (DOJ)

BOSTON - A Boston area man pleaded guilty yesterday to his role in Cameron Street, a violent Boston gang.

Takari Elliott, a/k/a "T-Paper," 34, of Boston, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to participate in a racketeering enterprise involving murder. U.S. District Court Judge Julia E. Kobick scheduled sentencing for May 27, 2026. Elliott was among 22 defendants charged in May 2023.

Elliott was identified as a member of Cameron Street, a violent gang based largely in the Dorchester section of Boston. Cameron Street members use firearms to murder and assault gang rivals as well as protect narcotics and drug proceeds. Members of Cameron Street have tattoos and wear clothing signifying their membership in the gang. They also post videos and use social media applications to promote the gang, celebrate murders and other violent crimes committed by the gang.

Elliott engaged in several acts that supported the Cameron Street enterprise. Most significantly, Elliott participated in the October 2020 murder in Brockton of Manuel Duarte, also known as "Brava." Throughout the day of the murder, Elliott had been communicating with Duarte over Snapchat urging Duarte to meet him at a home address in Brockton to conduct a drug deal. Another member of Cameron Street, who is now deceased, rented a car in Boston and drove to Brockton, where he picked up Elliott and the pair met up with Duarte at a home in Brockton. Once there, the fellow Cameron Street member emerged from the backyard and shot Duarte 10 times, killing him. The fellow Cameron Street member took the rental car and fled to Boston, while Elliott was picked up by others near the scene of the murder.

Further evidence revealed that Elliott and his fellow Cameron Street member were paid $60,000 to murder Duarte and that they spilt the proceeds.

Elliott's Cameron Street-related conduct goes back as far as January 2011, when Elliott was arrested in possession of a firearm with an obliterated serial number and masks in a car near Cameron Street with other Cameron Street members. Elliott was convicted and sentenced to three years in prison for that offense:

In 2017, Elliott was convicted in federal court in Boston for cocaine distribution, for which he was sentenced to 30 months in prison. Following his prison sentence, while on federal supervised release, Elliott was arrested during a traffic stop in possession of a baseball-sized quantity of cocaine and with the Duarte murder.

Elliott is the 21st defendant to be convicted in the case. The remaining defendant, Clayton Rodrigues, is a fugitive and remains at large.

"This defendant and his fellow Carmeron Street gang members terrorized communities for years. Despite previous arrests, and while on federal supervised release, Elliott continued to sell drugs, carry guns and commit a murder for hire. He has no regard for the law and it appears that he is incapable of learning a lesson. Enough is enough. He is facing a harsh sentence which is more than warranted," said United States Attorney Leah B. Foley.

"Cameron Street waged a gang war among the residents of Dorchester, terrorizing their community and causing untold grief to countless families and loved ones of their victims. Takari Elliott was a willing participant in the Cameron Street racketeering enterprise, celebrating these killings and dealing drugs across Massachusetts. Elliott then accepted his cut of $60,000 to commit a murder-for-hire. ATF's primary mission is to target and disrupt violent entities like Cameron Street. Takari Elliott's plea places an exclamation point on ATF's long-running investigation into the retaliatory violence," said Thomas Greco, Special Agent in Charge of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms & Explosives, Boston Field Division.

"Violent gang members who flood our communities with deadly drugs and commit acts of brutal violence will be held accountable," said Jared A. Forget, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, New England Division. "This defendant was not only responsible for trafficking dangerous narcotics, but also for participating in racketeering activity that included murder. With two prior convictions, he had multiple opportunities to change course and instead chose to escalate his criminal conduct. DEA and our law enforcement partners remain steadfast in our commitment to dismantling violent criminal enterprises and protecting the public from those who threaten the safety of our neighborhoods."

The charge of RICO conspiracy involving murder provides for a sentence of up to life in prison, five 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 statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

U.S. Attorney Foley, ATF SAC Greco, DEA SAC Forget and Boston Police Commissioner Michael Cox made the announcement. Valuable assistance was provided by the Massachusetts State Police; Suffolk County Sheriff's Office; Suffolk, Plymouth, Norfolk and Bristol County District Attorney's Offices; and the Canton, Quincy, Randolph, Somerville, Brockton, Malden, Stoughton, Rehoboth, Pawtucket (R.I.) and Nashville Police Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christopher J. Pohl and Brian A. Fogerty of the Criminal Division are prosecuting the case.

The details contained in the charging document are allegations. The remaining defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in the court of law.