MS-13 leader gets 20 years for encouraging murder

A federal judge today sentenced Herzzon "Casper" Sandoval to 20 years in prison for a RICO violation - his role in encouraging the murder of a 15-year-old on Trenton Street in East Boston and two attempted murders.

Sandoval was the leader of MS-13's Eastside Loco Salvatrucha "clique" when one of his clique members tried for a promotion by murdering Irvin de Paz, 15, on Trenton Street on Sept. 20, 2015. A federal jury in Boston found him guilty of a RICO violation in February, the US Attorney's office reports.

De Paz was a member of the rival 18th Street Gang and the murder should have been enough for a promotion to "homeboy" for Julio "Animal" Martinez, but Sandoval refused to give it to him because of past supposed violations of MS-13 rules. Instead, Sandoval encouraged Martinez to do more killings, according to a federal sentencing document in the case.

Within a month, Martinez and other Eastside members tried stabbing two people to death in Chelsea. They didn't succeed, but that was good enough for Martinez to be "made a "homeboy" - in a ceremony in which other gang members beat him for 13 seconds.

Martinez got a 40-year sentence for murdering de Paz after admitting his guilt.

Sandoval was one of 61 people arrested in raids against Boston-area MS-13 members in 2016. Most have since pleaded or been found guilty of various charges under the federal RICO statute.