Man charged with lying to grand jury investigating violent gang

The owner of a Dorchester auto-body shop was indicted yesterday on charges he lied to a grand jury investigating a gang that authorities say was responsible for drug deals and a number of murders, the state Attorney General's office said Thursday.

Rafael Bachier, 39, will now face trial in Suffolk Superior Court on charges of perjury, misleading the grand jury with intent to interfere with a criminal investigation, and accessory after cocaine trafficking.

Prosecutors allege Bachier was pals with members of the Magnolia Steelers, whom police say arranged hits on rival gang members from Roxbury bars before police arrested 15 members in 2009. The indictment charges that Bachier told the grand jury he'd had no contact with alleged gang leader Christian Miranda after Miranda escaped police chasing him, when Bachier in fact had talked to Miranda numerous times until police tracked him down.

"Following his testimony, investigators developed additional evidence that showed this portion of Bachier's testimony was false and that he designed it to aid in Miranda's flight from justice," the Attorney General's office said in a statement. "Allegedly, Bachier had been communicating with Miranda throughout the summer when Miranda was at-large."

The alleged gang members have yet to come to trial.

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