Federal prosecutors unsealed sweeping racketeering charges Tuesday against 26 alleged leaders, members and associates of the Trinitarios, a violent transnational criminal organization with deep roots in Dominican communities across Massachusetts, marking the latest and most expansive phase of a two-year federal campaign to dismantle one of the state's most feared street gangs.
The indictment charges the defendants with RICO conspiracy in connection with five murders and 19 attempted murders, along with drug trafficking and firearms offenses. The new charges bring the total number of Trinitarios charged by the U.S. Attorney's Office over the past two years to 56 — individuals collectively alleged to have committed or participated in 11 murders and 30 attempted murders since 2017.
The investigation also resulted in the apprehension of seven individuals identified as illegal aliens who have either been deported from the United States or are currently in deportation proceedings.
"It appears the defendants believed they were immune from prosecution. They were wrong."
— U.S. Attorney Leah B. Foley
"It is safe to say that for far too long the Trinitarios have wreaked havoc and instilled fear inour communities," said U.S. Attorney Leah B. Foley. "Murders, attempted murders, kidnapping, witness tampering and extortion. The list goes on and on, but that ends today. Their boldness and hubris are quite frankly astounding. It appears the defendants believed they were immune from prosecution. They were wrong."
The individuals charged today are alleged leaders, members and associates of the Lawrence, Haverhill and Boston Chapters of the Trinitarios. Court documents allege the gang's participation in five murders, 19 attempted murders, efforts to kill witnesses, trafficking of dozens of kilograms of drugs, extortion of legitimate businesses with the threat of violence, kidnappings and robberies.
According to court documents, the Lawrence, Lynn, Boston and Haverhill Chapters allegedly dominated their respective communities by intimidating rival gangs and establishing territorial control over key neighborhoods. Each chapter maintained a so-called "Cabinet" of leaders responsible for recruiting new members, enforcing internal discipline, and collecting funds for a communal account used to support criminal operations and incarcerated members' families.
Court documents further allege that the organization operated according to a written "Magna Carta" — a formal document defining the gang's structure, rules, slogans, symbols, colors and practices. Recruitment efforts, authorities say, were particularly targeted at legal immigrants and undocumented individuals from the Dominican Republic, with a focus on juveniles in local high schools in Lawrence and Lynn. Prosecutors allege the gang appealed to recruits through shared language, Dominican cultural identity and the outward appearance of prosperity and brotherhood.
New members were typically inducted after a period of observation or probation, often following the completion of a "mission" — typically a significant act of violence such as a shooting, beating, or fight with a rival gang member. Upon induction, recruits were formally "blessed" into the organization during a ceremony and awarded ceremonial beaded necklaces.
Investigators allege the gang also weaponized social media and music as tools of intimidation. Members allegedly produced music videos featuring gang symbols, weapons, cash and drug imagery, with lyrics openly boasting about the Trinitarios' capacity for violence and the scale of their drug distribution operations — films intended as warnings to rival organizations.
Background & Timeline
The investigation originated in the aftermath of four murders and a series of shootings in Lynn allegedly carried out by the Trinitarios. In February 2025, federal racketeering charges were unsealed against 22 leaders and members of the gang's Lynn Chapter. A Lynn member was sentenced to 10 years in prison in March 2025, and the chapter's leader received a 14-year sentence in July 2025.
In June 2025, two members were charged with kidnapping a drug supplier. Guilty pleas from additional members have continued into 2026, with the most recent coming in June of this year. The charges unsealed Tuesday expand the federal investigation to the Lawrence, Haverhill and Boston Chapters.
The investigation was led by Homeland Security Investigations New England alongside the FBI, DEA, ATF, the Massachusetts State Police and multiple local law enforcement agencies. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Philip A. Mallard of the Organized Crime and Gang Unit.
The case is part of the Homeland Security Task Force initiative established under Executive Order 14159, as well as Operation Take Back America, a nationwide Department of Justice initiative targeting illegal immigration, cartels and transnational criminal organizations.
"Massachusetts communities are safer today after the arrests of 24 alleged members of the Trinitarios," said HSI New England Acting Special Agent in Charge Jeffrey Grimming. "This deadly transnational street gang has inflicted senseless violence and terror upon our communities — from drug trafficking and gun violence to kidnapping and murder — but we are working tirelessly to hold them to account."
All defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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