A local MS-13 gang leader known as “Little Crazy” has admitted to committing a previously unsolved murder, according to the feds.

Jose Vasquez, also known as “Little Crazy” and “Cholo,” has pleaded guilty to his role in the 2010 murder of a man in Chelsea.

Vasquez, 31, the leader of the MS-13 “clique” in Somerville, is currently serving a 17-year federal prison sentence after he was convicted of conspiracy to conduct enterprise affairs through a pattern of racketeering activity.

Now, the gang leader could be staring at decades more in prison following his guilty plea for killing a purported rival gang member in 2010.

MS-13 is a transnational criminal organization with tens of thousands of members located in the U.S., El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico and elsewhere. MS-13 branches, or “cliques,” operate throughout the U.S., including in Massachusetts.

MS-13 gang members are required to commit acts of violence, specifically against rival gang members; kill informants; and support and defend fellow MS-13 members in attacks.

“MS-13 members maintain and enhance their status in the gang and the overall reputation of the gang by participating in such violent acts,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office wrote.

Vasquez was the leader of the Trece Locos Salvatrucha, or TLS, clique of MS-13 operating in Somerville. In addition to being a leader of an MS-13 clique, Vasquez personally participated in racketeering activity and acts of violence on behalf of MS-13, the feds said.

Back on Dec. 18, 2010, police responded to a 911 call under the Fifth Street on-ramp to Route 1 in Chelsea. A 28-year-old man was found with about 10 stab wounds to his head, back and chest. He was transported to the hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

A recent reexamination of evidence collected during the initial investigation identified members of MS-13, including Vasquez, as having committed the murder.

In the week leading up to the incident, Vasquez and other MS-13 members conspired to murder the victim because they believed he belonged to a rival gang.

On the day of the murder, Vasquez and other MS-13 members picked the victim up in front of a McDonald’s in Allston. The group then drove to Chelsea, where Vasquez and other MS-13 members led the victim to a secluded area under the highway — where an MS-13 member hit the victim in the head with a rock, and another MS-13 member stabbed the victim with a machete.

During the attack, Vasquez stabbed the victim with a knife. Vasquez’s palm print was identified on the handle of a kitchen knife recovered from the scene. The victim’s blood was also found on the knife.

An undercover recording obtained of an MS-13 meeting that took place six weeks after the murder captured one MS-13 member acknowledging his participation in the murder, and other gang members disciplining him for leaving Massachusetts after the murder without the gang’s permission. Vasquez was identified as being present for the meeting.

Federal sentencing in this case is scheduled for June 30.