Defendant admits responsibility for 2018 murder in Lynn and previously uncharged 2016 murder in East Boston
June 5, 2021 - BOSTON – A member of the MS-13 gang pleaded guilty on Friday in federal court in Boston to RICO conspiracy and admitted to his participation in the murders of two 
teenagers in Massachusetts, one in 2016 in East Boston and the other in 2018 in Lynn.
Henri Salvador Gutierrez a/k/a “Perverso,” 22, a Salvadorian national, pleaded guilty to racketeering, also known as RICO conspiracy. U.S. Senior District Court Judge Mark L. Wolf scheduled sentencing for Oct. 8, 2021.
MS-13 is a transnational street gang operating in Massachusetts and numerous other states, as well as countries such as El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala. MS-13 members follow certain core rules and principles, including that members attack and attempt to kill members of rival gangs, and members do not act as informants or cooperate with law enforcement.
MS-13 is organized in Massachusetts and elsewhere in smaller groups, known as “cliques,” that operate under the larger mantle of MS-13. Gutierrez was a member of the Sykos Locos Salvatrucha clique of MS-13. Achieving promotion in MS-13 generally requires the commission of a significant act of violence, often including murder. The evidence in this case showed that Gutierrez was a “homeboy” or full member of the MS-13 gang.
In November 2018, Gutierrez and six other MS-13 members were indicted following an investigation into the body of a teenage boy found in a park in Lynn on Aug. 2, 2018. The injuries to the victim’s body indicated that the victim had been stabbed dozens of times. Gutierrez admitted that on or about July 30, 2018, he participated in the murder while a member of the MS-13 gang. Evidence presented in court showed that Gutierrez personally stabbed the victim numerous times and showed that Gutierrez and his co-conspirators committed the murder because they believed that the victim was disloyal to the gang and may have been cooperating with law enforcement. Gutierrez is the 5th defendant in this case to plead guilty and accept responsibility for his participation in the July 2018 murder.
Gutierrez also admitted that on or about Dec. 24, 2016, while a member of the MS-13 gang, he participated in a separate murder in East Boston of a teenage boy. Among other things, the evidence summarized in court showed that Gutierrez personally stabbed the victim numerous times and that Gutierrez committed the murder because he believed that the victim may have belonged to a rival gang.
The charge of RICO conspiracy involving murder, provides for a sentence of up to life in prison, up to three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. Gutierrez will also be subject to deportation upon the completion of his sentence. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Acting United States Attorney Nathaniel R. Mendell; Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; William S. Walker, Acting Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in Boston; Colonel Christopher Mason, Superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police; Essex County District Attorney Jonathan Blodgett; Suffolk County District Attorney Rachel Rollins; Acting Boston Police Commissioner Gregory Long; and Lynn Police Chief Michael Mageary made the announcement.
The remaining defendant in this case is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Source: DOJ Release
