BOSTON — Vincent ‘Fatz’ Caruso, a 27-year-old Lynn man, and his 52-year-old mother, Laurie Caruso, have been sentenced for their drug trafficking crimes that spread violence across the North Shore.
In a statement, the Department of Justice announced that U.S. District Court Judge Denise J. Casper sentenced Vincent Caruso to 250 months in prison and five years of supervised release.
On March 15, he plead guilty to one count of conspiracy to manufacture, distribute, and possess with intent to distribute 400 grams or more of fentanyl, cocaine, marijuana, and other controlled substances; one count of conspiracy to possess firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime; possession of firearms in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime; conspiracy to interfere with commerce by robbery, and one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering.
Laurie Caruso was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Nathaniel Gorton to nine years in prison and four years of supervised release after she plead guilty to one count of conspiracy to manufacture, distribute, and possess with intent to distribute fentanyl and other controlled substances on February 28.
According to F.B.I. Special Agent in charge of the Boston Department, Joseph R. Bonavolonta, the Carusos “brought nothing but poison, mayhem, and violence to the North Shore of Massachusetts, and beyond. They peddled hundreds of thousands of counterfeit pills containing fentanyl, capitalizing on those struggling with addiction, while raking in an obscene amount of money.”
Vincent Caruso, a self-proclaimed Crip, often worked with street gangs throughout the North Shore to further the reach of his operation. In addition, he was involved in and orchestrated violent offenses, including a machine-gun shooting and two armed robberies. He was originally arrested in June 2021 as a part of “Operation Street Sweepah: Guns and Butter.” Both armed robberies occured while he was on pretrial release.
During the first robbery in March 2020, the armed Vincent Caruso and other individuals broke into a house, zip-tied the occupants, and stole $18,000 of jewelry. In the second robbery, in May 2021, Caruso “enlisted associates to rob an individual.” These individuals robbed a person while threatening them with an AR-15 style rifle and escaped the scene.
The statement details a June 2021 incident where Caruso provided a fully-automatic handgun to an associate, who then fired “dozens” of rounds into a group of people gathered on a porch. The bullets hit the property and three individuals who survived.
While he was committing these crimes, he was sending “dozens of photos and videos via social media that depicted him in possession of firearms and machine guns, large quantities of fentanyl that would be distributed by his organization, large amounts of cash and high-end jewelry.”
The DOJ stated, “Over 1.5 kilograms of pressed fentanyl pills, over 12 firearms, multiple luxury brand watches, chains, four medallions, two custom ATVs, a dirt bike, and over $177,000 in cash were recovered through various search warrants executed in this and related investigations.”
First Assistant United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy said, “This family business has been shut down for good. Vincent Caruso was a prolific and violent drug trafficker who flooded North Shore communities with hundreds of thousands of deadly counterfeit prescription pills containing fentanyl. Caruso and his associates orchestrated numerous shootings and armed robberies using an arsenal of firearms – including machine guns – and then took to social media to brag about their incredibly destructive criminal conduct.”
“Caruso, along with his mother and co-conspirator Laurie Caruso, pumped poison and violence into our communities and you won’t be hearing from them on Instagram for a long long time,” said Levy.
Emma Fringuelli can be reached at [email protected].
