MS-13 Member Pleads Guilty to Racketeering Involving Three Murders

BOSTON - A Salvadoran national and member of La Mara Salvatrucha, or MS-13, pleaded guilty today in federal court in Boston to his role in three murders. Defendant participated in beating, shooting and dismembering victims.

Franklin Antonio Amaya Paredes, a/k/a "Mosca" or "Tony," 28, unlawfully residing in New Bedford, Mass. pleaded guilty to racketeering involving murder, conspiracy to participate in a racketeering enterprise involving murder and two counts of murder in aid of racketeering. U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani scheduled sentencing for July 10, 2026. These charges stem from two indictments, one in the District of Massachusetts, the other in the Eastern District of Virginia. By agreement, Paredes's Virginia charges were transferred to the District of Massachusetts.

"This defendant - an illegal alien who's been residing unlawfully in our country - admitted to participating in three brutal murders across state lines to advance MS-13's violent agenda and be rewarded within the gang's ranks," said United States Attorney Leah B. Foley. "Let this serve as a clear message: individuals who come to this country and engage in this level of violence will be aggressively investigated, prosecuted and held fully accountable. This transnational criminal organization is far-reaching, but my office will continue to use every resource to dismantle it and protect Massachusetts communities from such barbaric devastation. As was the case here, my office will continue to work with agents and prosecutors across the country until MS-13 and other transnational criminal groups have been eliminated."

"What Franklin Antonio Amaya Paredes did to his victims was particularly heinous - so much so that, years later, the circumstances of these three murders still stand out," said Ted. E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division. "The sheer brutality, cruel depravity, and terror he inflicted on behalf of MS-13 demonstrates a complete disregard for human life. Amaya Paredes belongs behind bars, and that's exactly where today's conviction will keep him. Meanwhile, the FBI will continue to work with our law enforcement and community partners to dismantle this transnational criminal organization, bring an end to their senseless violence, and obtain justice for the victims of their crimes."

According to court documents, Paredes was a member of the Uniones Locos Salvatrucha (ULS) clique of MS-13. The ULS clique operated in northern Virginia, southeastern Massachusetts and elsewhere in the United States. The clique was responsible for committing numerous murders and other acts of violence and distributing marijuana and cocaine in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area. Money generated from drug sales was used for the ULS clique's needs in the United States, to fund MS-13 activities in El Salvador, and to help incarcerated MS-13 members.

On Aug. 25, 2018, Paredes and other members of ULS met in New Bedford, Mass., to murder an associate of MS-13's Directos Locos Salvatrucha clique. MS-13 leadership in El Salvador had approved the murder because they believed the victim had betrayed MS-13. They met the victim at the residence of an MS-13 member in New Bedford and after the group ate dinner, Paredes and other ULS members beat and strangled the victim to death. Paredes and other ULS members then dismembered the victim's body and buried the remains in a nearby wooded area. Paredes and other members of the group were promoted within MS-13's ranks for their participation in the murder. The victim's remains have not yet been found.

In June 2019, Paredes and other members of ULS conspired to murder individuals who frequently gathered to drink in a wooded area in the clique's perceived territory in Reston, Va. On June 23, 2019, ULS members armed themselves with firearms and machetes and traveled to the Hunters Woods area of Reston. There, members of the group murdered the first many they encountered by shooting him and slashing him with a machete, while Paredes and others remained in nearby cars ready to assist. After the murder, Paredes and other members of the group drove to a nearby hotel room and recounted the details of the murder.

On July 14, 2020, Paredes shot and killed another victim near Horseneck Road in Dartmouth, Mass. Text messages showed that Paredes, who was the victim's cousin, invited the victim to a family party where he was murdered.

After being charged with murder by state authorities, Paredes confided that he murdered his cousin because the cousin failed to "check in" with MS-13 leadership when he arrived in the New Bedford area from El Salvador and had done a poor job growing MS-13 in Southeastern Massachusetts. Paredes also conspired to kill a witness to the murder while in state custody.

As alleged in the indictments, MS-13 is a transnational criminal organization with tens of thousands of members located in the United States, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico and elsewhere. MS-13 branches, or "cliques," operate throughout the United States, including in Massachusetts and Virginia. In furtherance of its mission, MS-13 members are required to commit acts of violence, specifically against rival gang members; kill informants; and support and defend fellow MS-13 members in attacks. 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 maximum sentence of life in prison; supervised release for up to five years; and a fine of $250,000 or twice the gross profits or other proceeds obtained by the defendant from racketeering activity. The charge of murder in aid of racketeering provides for a mandatory minimum sentence of life in prison; supervised release for up to five years; and a $250,000 fine. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

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 (TCOs), 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 (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).

U.S. Attorney Foley; J. Frank Bradsher, Executive Assistant U.S. Attorney, Eastern District of Virginia; FBI SAC Docks; FBI Assistant Director in Charge Darren B. Cox of the Washington Field Office; Colonel Geoffrey D. Noble, Superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police; Jeff Grimming, Acting, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New England; Fairfax County (Va.) Police Chief Kevin Davis; Suffolk County District Attorney Kevin Hayden; and Bristol County District Attorney Thomas M. Quinn III made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was also provided by the United States Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of New York. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Christopher Pohl, Meghan C. Cleary, and Brian A. Fogerty are prosecuting the case for the District of Massachusetts. Assistant U.S. Attorneys John Blanchard, Megan Braun, and Natasha Smalky prosecuted the case for the Eastern District of Virginia.