Lynn Trinitatios gang leader pleads guilty to racketeering charges
Mass. woman sentenced to prison for operating high-end prostitution network
The Department of Justice states that the Trinitarios is a violent criminal group comprised of thousands of members across the United States. They adhere to a Magna Carta, employ an internal hierarchy to or organize and execute violence, and undertaken efforts to maintain the secrecy of the organization and its members.
Back in February, federal racketeering charges were unsealed against 22 leaders and members of the Trinitarios. This is the culmination of an investigation led by the FBI and Department of Homeland Security. The investigation began after four murders and several attempted murders took place in Lynn in 2023 that was allegedly committed by the Trinitarios. Aaron Diaz Liranzo, 26, led the Lynn chapter and was the sixth Defendant to plead guilty.
Diaz Liranzo admitted to participating in a shooting in March 2019 that targeted several rival gang members outside of a Lynn nightclub. The victims were coaxed there by another member posed as a woman who needed a ride. With a firearm and knowing where the victims were and vehicle they were driving, the defendant went to the nightclub and opened fire at the vehicle, releasing around six rounds. During the incident, Diaz Liranzo shot two of the three victims seated in the car. Both of the victims suffered life-threatening injuries, but survived the incident.
The charge of conspiracy to conduct enterprise affairs through a pattern of racketeering activity (also known as 'racketeering conspiracy' or 'RICO conspiracy') is a sentence of up to life in prison, five years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. His sentencing is set for June.
WWLP-22News, an NBC affiliate, began broadcasting in March 1953 to provide local news, network, syndicated, and local programming to western Massachusetts. Watch the 22News Digital Edition weekdays at 4 p.m. on WWLP.com.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
12 hours ago
- Yahoo
US justice department officials interview Ghislaine Maxwell
The Jeffrey Epstein files scandal swirling around Donald Trump and his administration continued to escalate on Thursday as officials from the Department of Justice met with the late sex offender's longtime associate Ghislaine Maxwell, whose lawyer said she 'answered every question … honestly and to the best of her ability'. Todd Blanche, the US deputy attorney general, arrived on Thursday morning at the office of the US attorney in Tallahassee, Florida, ABC News reported. The state prosecutor's office is based in the federal courthouse in the Florida capital and Maxwell's lawyers were also seen entering the building. Related: What are the Jeffrey Epstein files and will they be released? Maxwell is serving a 20-year sentence for sex trafficking and other crimes at a federal prison in Florida, after being convicted in New York in late 2021. On Thursday afternoon, Maxwell's attorney David Markus said his team had a 'very productive day' with Blanche, who will meet with Maxwell again on Friday, Reuters reported. '[Blanche] took a full day and asked a lot of questions,' Markus said. 'Miss Maxwell answered every single question. She never stopped. She never invoked a privilege. She never declined to answer. She answered all the questions truthfully, honestly and to the best of her ability.' The meeting comes amid growing political and public pressure on the Trump administration to release more details about the Epstein investigation – something that Trump and members of his administration had promised. Mark Epstein, the brother of the disgraced financier, told the Guardian in an interview that if he had the opportunity he would ask Maxwell 'what she and Jeffrey might have known what the dirt was on Donald Trump'. 'Because Jeffrey said, he said he had dirt on Trump,' Mark Epstein said. 'I don't know what it was, but years ago he said he had dirt on Trump.' He added that he wasn't 'particularly worried' for Maxwell, adding: 'There's a lot of people on this planet.' Maxwell's brother Ian Maxwell, meanwhile, told the New York Post that his sister had been preparing 'new evidence' before her meeting with justice department officials. 'She will be putting before [a] court material new evidence that was not available to the defense at her 2021 trial, which would have had a significant impact on its outcome,' her brother told the outlet in an email. Jeffrey Epstein was found dead in his prison cell in New York in 2019 while awaiting trial on federal sex-trafficking charges, which he denied, relating to accusations that he 'sexually exploited and abused dozens of minor girls'. He had previously been officially declared a sex offender in Florida but re-emerged as a significant figure in US business and political circles in the years that followed, having struck a deal over the earlier criminal charges. Related: How the Jeffrey Epstein row plunged Maga world into turmoil – a timeline The renewed focus on Trump's past association with Epstein comes after the justice department announced earlier this month that it would not be releasing any more documents from the most recent Epstein investigation – despite earlier pledges by the US president and the US attorney general, Pam Bondi. The justice department's announcement drew criticism and backlash from both sides of the party political aisle, including from some Trump supporters and conservative commentators, who accused the administration of engaging in a cover-up. For years, the Epstein case has been the subject of countless conspiracy theories, partly due to Epstein's ties to high-profile figures. Epstein's death, which was officially ruled a suicide, has also fueled many conspiracy theories. On Wednesday, the Wall Street Journal reported that Trump was informed by Bondi in May that his name appears multiple times in the justice department files related to Epstein. The report also said that Trump was told that many other high-profile individuals were named in the files, and that the department did not plan to release any additional documents related to the investigation. Trump's spokesperson, Steven Cheung, denied the claims in the Journal report and dismissed the story. In an emailed statement this week, Cheung said that 'the fact is that the President kicked him [Epstein] out of his club for being a creep'. Meanwhile, the House oversight committee voted 8-2 on Wednesday to subpoena the justice department for the Epstein files, with three Republicans joining all Democrats in the vote. The committee also subpoenaed Maxwell to testify before committee officials on 11 August. Mike Johnson, the Republican House speaker, questioned whether Maxwell could be trusted. And Dan Goldman, a Democratic New York representative, said in a post on X on Tuesday: 'Ghislaine is looking for a pardon, and who would be better to give it to her than a co-conspirator now in the Oval Office.' Edward Helmore contributed reporting
Epoch Times
13 hours ago
- Epoch Times
Special Counsel Office Opens Investigation Into Trump Prosecutor Jack Smith
The U.S. Office of Special Counsel has launched an investigation into former Department of Justice (DOJ) special counsel Jack Smith, who brought two separate federal criminal cases against former President Donald Trump during the Biden administration, between Trump's two presidential terms. On Aug. 2, the Office of Special Counsel confirmed it was investigating whether Smith's conduct through his efforts to prosecute Trump constituted a form of improper political activity. The office is an independent federal agency separate from the DOJ, tasked with protecting federal whistleblowers and enforcing civil service law, such as the Hatch Act restricting political activities by federal employees. The office has no criminal enforcement power but does investigate violations and has the authority to impose fines and other sanctions.
Newsweek
a day ago
- Newsweek
Inside Ghislaine Maxwell's New Texas Minimum-Security Prison
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Ghislaine Maxwell, the 62-year-old British socialite convicted of trafficking underage girls for Jeffrey Epstein, was moved to Federal Prison Camp Bryan, a minimum-security facility in Texas, earlier this week. Newsweek contacted Maxwell's attorney for comment via email on Saturday outside of regular office hours. Why It Matters President Donald Trump has been under intense pressure over the Epstein case since July 6 when the Department of Justice and FBI released a joint statement asserting he had "no incriminating 'client list'" and died by suicide. Conspiracy theorists, including a section of Trump's Make America Great Again (MAGA) movement, have long maintained that Epstein was murdered to cover up the involvement of prominent figures in his abuse. The Wall Street Journal later reported Trump had been told his name appeared "multiple times" in the so-called Epstein files by Attorney General Pam Bondi, which the White House dismissed as "fake news." Trump also said he would be "allowed" to pardon Maxwell, though he added that "it's something I have not through about" as the issue continues to cause a rift between the president and some of his supporters. What To Know In 2022, Maxwell was sentenced to 20 years in prison after being found guilty of child sex trafficking, though she continues to maintain her innocence. Prosecutors said the offenses were carried out in cooperation with Epstein, the New York financier and convicted sex offender who committed suicide in a New York federal jail in 2019. Maxwell initially served her sentence at the Federal Correctional Institution in Florida, a low-security prison, but, this week, the Bureau of Prisons told Newsweek that she has been transferred to Bryan. This was confirmed by David Oscar Markus, Maxwell's attorney, though he declined to comment further. In total, 635 inmates are held at Federal Prison Camp Bryan, the vast majority of which are women convicted of nonviolent offenses, according to the facility's official website. Other detainees include Elizabeth Holmes, the billionaire founder of Theranos, who was convicted of fraud; and former Real Housewives of Salt Lake City star Jen Shah. Overall, the site covers 37 acres, with inmates housed in dormitories. A prison handbook for the Bryan prison, seen by the BBC, indicates Maxwell will be required to wear khaki-colored shirts and pants and get up at 6 a.m. each day. File photo: Signage is displayed near the entrance to Federal Prison Camp Bryan on August 1, 2025 in Bryan, Texas. File photo: Signage is displayed near the entrance to Federal Prison Camp Bryan on August 1, 2025 in Bryan, Texas. Brandon Bell/GETTY Prisoners are primarily housed in two person cells in dormitory-style facilities, according to Pink Lady Prison Consultants, an advocacy group led by former prisoners. All prisoners are expected to work, earning between 12 cents and $1.15 per hour. A range of educational programs are also available, including classes on business skills and foreign languages. The handbook says inmates can also play sports, attend religious services and access televisions. Visitors are allowed during the weekend and holidays, though with limited physical contact. Prisoners can be sanctioned if they break a number of rules, including not keeping their cells clean; leaving an area during one of the five-a-day roll calls; and sleeping past the designated wake-up time. For each meal, prisoners are allotted one hour, with the menu compiled by the Federal Bureau of Prisons, including macaroni, tacos, hotdogs and hamburgers. British newspaper The Daily Telegraph reported that facilities available at the Bryan prison include a gym, yoga classes and a 'puppy program,' which involves prisoners training service dogs in collaboration with Canine Companions. What People Are Saying In a statement released on Friday the Bureau of Prisons said: "We can confirm Ghislaine Maxwell is in the custody of the Federal Bureau of Prisons at the Federal Prison Camp (FPC) Bryan in Bryan, Texas." The family of Virginia Giuffre, one of Epstein's victims who died by suicide earlier this year, expressed their "horror and disgust" at the move, which they said was made "without any notification to Maxwell's victims." The family added: "This is the justice system failing victims right before our eyes. The American public should be outraged by the special treatment afforded to a pedophile and a criminally charged child sex offender." Speaking to The Daily Telegraph Julie Howell, a Bryan prisoner, said the facility is "nothing like you see on TV or in the movies because it's a camp, which only houses nonviolent offenders." Maxwell's move came after she was interviewed by Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche on July 25 about Epstein's activities and who else was involved. What Happens Next Trump is likely to continue facing pressure from some of his supporters to release more information about the Epstein case. Maxwell could be offered a pardon or reduced sentence in exchange for giving more details about Epstein's associates, but such a move would almost certainly be highly controversial.
