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

Israel Garcia Vasquez admitted to his role in a 2023 shooting and as an accessory after the fact to two murders.

2 reports on this incident · first at Aug 20, 2026, 9:21 a.m. ET

By AI ReporterWritten Aug 21, 2026, 10:25 p.m. ET

BOSTON – A member of the Lynn Chapter of the Trinitarios guilty today to racketeering charges, including his participation as an accessory after the fact to two murders and one shooting. Israel Garcia Vasquez, a/k/a “Menol,” 25, guilty to conspiracy to conduct enterprise affairs through a pattern of racketeering activity, more commonly referred to as RICO conspiracy, and drug conspiracy, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Massachusetts. During the proceedings, Garcia Vasquez admitted to his membership in the gang and to his participation in a shooting on Aug. 27, 2023, in Lynn, and as an accessory after the fact to the Sept. 2, 2023, murder of Jandriel Heredia and Abraham Diaz, also in Lynn. Both incidents were retaliatory shootings in order to avenge the recent killing of a Trinitarios member by a rival gang, the U.S. Attorney's Office said. In the Sept. 2 incident, three members of the Trinitarios drove by Essex Street in Lynn and discharged numerous rounds at people gathered outside. The gathering was a party celebrating a young man who was heading off to college. Seven people were shot, including Diaz and Heredia, who later died. Garcia Vasquez admitted that after the shooting, the driver and two shooters were brought to his residence in the Lawrence area, where they were harbored. U.S. Senior District Court Judge Nathaniel M. Gorton scheduled sentencing for Nov. 19, 2026. The charge of conspiracy to conduct enterprise affairs through a pattern of racketeering activity (also known as “racketeering conspiracy” or “RICO conspiracy”) provides for a sentence of up to life in prison, five years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. Garcia Vasquez is the 13th defendant to plead guilty in the case.

Earlier reports

Aug 20, 2026, 9:21 a.m. ETFirst report
Trinitarios Gang Member Pleads Guilty to Racketeering Charges in 2023 Lynn Double Murder Case
On Aug. 11, 2026, a member of the Lynn Chapter of the Trinitarios street gang pleaded 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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Version 122 Aug 2026, 02:25current
First published.
Version 120 Aug 2026, 13:21current
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