In federal court in Boston, an MS-13 member recently entered a guilty plea to racketeering conspiracy in connection with the murder of a 16-year-old boy in East Boston.
The 16-year-old victim was Christofer Perez de la Cruz.
Jairo Perez, also known as “Seco,” is a 27-year-old Salvadoran national who pleaded guilty to conspiracy to conduct enterprise affairs through a pattern of racketeering activity, commonly known as RICO or racketeering conspiracy. According to his plea, Perez’s racketeering activity included participation in the Jan. 10, 2016, murder of the 16-year-old in East Boston.
The proposed plea agreement calls for Perez to receive a 35-year prison sentence. The Court accepted the guilty plea at today’s hearing but postponed acceptance of the full plea agreement until sentencing. Following completion of his sentence, Perez faces deportation proceedings. U.S. District Court Judge F. Dennis Saylor IV set the sentencing date for Sept. 11, 2018.
According to the investigation, Perez belonged to MS-13’s Trece Loco Salvatrucha (TLS) clique. Evidence established that on Jan. 10, 2016, Perez and other MS-13 members killed a 16-year-old boy whom they mistakenly believed was affiliated with the rival 18th Street gang. The boy was stabbed and shot multiple times. Perez was recorded several days later admitting to stabbing the victim repeatedly, leading to his arrest. Additionally, he was recorded burying the knives used in the murder at a park on Deer Island in Winthrop.
Following years of investigation, Perez was among dozens of alleged MS-13 leaders, members, and associates named in a superseding indictment unsealed in January 2016 targeting MS-13 criminal operations in Massachusetts. He represents the 48th conviction in this ongoing prosecution by the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Massachusetts. Of the eight defendants tried to date, all have been convicted, while 40 others have pleaded guilty.