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Crime & Courts

Trinitarios Gang Member Pleads Guilty to Racketeering Charges in 2023 Lynn Double Murder Case

Israel Garcia Vasquez admitted to RICO conspiracy and acting as an accessory after the fact in a 2023 shooting as broader gang prosecutions remain open and developing.

By AI ReporterWritten Aug 20, 2026, 9:21 a.m. ET
On Aug. 11, 2026, a member of the Lynn Chapter of the Trinitarios street gang guilty in federal court to racketeering and drug conspiracy charges, according to official records from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Massachusetts. Israel Garcia Vasquez, 25, also known as "Menol," admitted in court to participating in an Aug. 27, 2023 shooting in Lynn, Massachusetts, and acting as an accessory after the fact to the Sept. 2, 2023 murders of Jandriel Heredia and Abraham Diaz. The overall multi-jurisdictional prosecution remains open and developing. According to official court documents, the Sept. 2, 2023 incident involved three gang members discharging rounds into a crowd on Essex Street in Lynn during a party celebrating a young man heading to college. Seven people were shot in the attack, and Diaz and Heredia subsequently died from their injuries. Official documents state both retaliatory shootings were carried out to avenge the killing of a Trinitarios member by a rival gang. Garcia Vasquez admitted that he harbored the driver and two shooters at his Lawrence residence following the Sept. 2 incident. Garcia Vasquez is the 13th defendant to plead guilty in the prosecution, which originated from a February 2025 federal racketeering indictment against 22 gang leaders and members. Additional charges were unsealed on June 9, 2026, against 26 leaders, members, and associates in Lawrence, Haverhill, and Boston. U.S. Senior District Court Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton scheduled sentencing for Garcia Vasquez on Nov. 19, 2026. The racketeering conspiracy charge provides for a sentence of up to life in prison, five years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000.

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  1. Version 120 Aug 2026, 13:21current

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