“Two New Bedford men were convicted last Friday afternoon by a jury of their peers after a week-long trial in Fall River Superior Court of raping and molesting a 9-year-old girl in their Nye Street apartment, Bristol County District Attorney Thomas M. Quinn III announced.

Nicholas Pacheco, 41, was convicted by the jury of two counts of Aggravated Rape and Abuse of a Child with at Least a Five Year Age Difference. Pacheco’s housemate, Braulio Castro, 37, was convicted by the jury of Forcible Rape of a Child.

Both defendants were ordered held in jail throughout the holiday weekend and were sentenced on Tuesday by Judge Thomas McGuire. Pacheco was sentenced to serve 10 to 15 years in state prison, while Castro was sentenced to serve eight to 12 years in prison. Both men are not citizens of the United States and will likely be deported upon completion of their state prison sentences.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Caleb Weiner.

During the trial, evidence showed that the girl, who is now a teenager, was raped twice by Pacheco, who she considered to be her father, and once by Castro. All three incidents occurred when the girl was 9 and 10 years old between February of 2015 and February of 2017.

The young victim testified during the trial about each instance of rape and told the jury she delayed disclosure of the rapes and molestations because she truly believed as a young child that she was just a toy and was supposed to be used for sex in this way. Sadly, the young victim had also been molested by two other men during her childhood.

It was the final abuse in 2021 by a New Bedford man named Mario Suy that finally compelled the victim to tell forensic investigators from the Bristol County Children’s Advocacy Center about all the abuse she had suffered. Mr. Suy, who is now 27-years-old, was convicted after a trial last April in New Bedford District Court of two counts of indecent assault and battery on a child under the age of 14 and was sentenced to the county jail in addition to a lengthy probation stint.

The first individual alleged to have sexually assaulted the child was her great-uncle, Mario Diaz, who was indicted for rape of a child by a grand jury, but was deported prior to a trial. The girl was seven-years-old when the first sexual abuse occurred.

“Sadly both defendants took advantage of their access to this young victim and sexually assaulted her. I want to thank the jury for holding both defendants accountable for this despicable conduct,” District Attorney Quinn said. “I commend the victim’s courage and fortitude in coming forward and persevering through these very difficult circumstances. I hope she can move forward with her life. The state prison sentences imposed by the court were appropriate.”-Bristol County District Attorney Thomas M. Quinn III’s Office.

“BOSTON – A former nurse pleaded guilty today in federal court in Boston to adulteration of fentanyl at a local hospital.

Caroline Sheehan, 39, of Lowell, Mass. pleaded guilty to one count of adulteration of a prescription drug with intent to defraud and mislead. U.S. District Court Judge Angel Kelley scheduled sentencing for June 12, 2024. Sheehan was charged by Information in November 2023.

While working at a Massachusetts hospital, Sheehan removed a bag of intravenous fentanyl solution from an automated dispensing machine. Sheehan used a syringe to remove fentanyl from the IV bag, injected saline into the bag to replace the fentanyl she had removed and returned the bag to its drawer in the machine. A hospital employee removed the IV bag, which laboratory testing confirmed contained less than the declared concentration of fentanyl, from the machine before any of the adulterated fentanyl solution was administered to a patient. Sheehan later admitted that she had withdrawn fentanyl from the IV bag and replaced it with saline to avoid getting caught.

The charge of adulteration of a prescription drug provides a sentence of no greater than three years in prison, one year of supervised release and a fine of up to $10,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy; Fernando McMillan, Special Agent in Charge of the Food and Drug Administration, Office of Criminal Investigations; Robert Coviello, Special Agent in Charge of the Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Inspector General; and Robert H. Goldstein, MD, PhD, Commissioner of the Massachusetts Department of Public Health made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kelly Begg Lawrence, Chief of the Health Care Fraud Unit is prosecuting the case.” -Massachusetts Department of Justice.

“Good morning, Sudbury Police fielded 20+ reports of car break-ins yesterday which appeared to have occurred in the early morning hours of February 18th, possibly late on February 17th in the Pine Lakes neighborhood off of Hudson Road.

Circumstances remain under investigation but anyone who may have camera footage during the hours of darkness depicting anything suspicious or may have seen something/someone out of the ordinary please contact the Sudbury Police Department at (978) 443-1042.

Sudbury is great community which often lulls residents into a false sense of security hence some do not feel the need to lock their vehicles and sometimes their houses. We implore all residents to ALWAYS secure your vehicles as well as your house! Although perpetrators are typically looking for unlocked vehicles, if high value items are left in plain sight this may entice one to forcibly gain entry.

Please do not leave valuables in your vehicles, particularly in plain sight! Thank you for your anticipated cooperation.”-Sudbury, MA Police Department.

At approximately 11:40pm on Friday night, the New Bedford Police Department received multiple 911 calls for shots being fired on Merrimac Street.

Upon arrival, police discovered the street littered with multiple shell casings and a vehicle that sustained damage from the gunfire. A perimeter was immediately established and units began to canvas the surrounding area for suspects.

This is a developing story we will update as we get more details.

“BOSTON – Two men have been charged in U.S. District Court for their alleged sexual exploitation of a minor female and filming the assault.

Michael Lamountain, 41, of Oxford, Mass. and Jalen Latimer, 25, of Woonsocket, R.I., were charged with one count each of sexual exploitation of a minor. Both defendants are in state custody on related offenses and will appear in federal court in Worcester today at noon.

According to the criminal complaint, on or about July 7, 2022, Latimer traveled to Oxford where he and Lamountain created video recordings of themselves sexually exploiting a minor.

Lamountain was previously arrested in August 2023 and subsequently charged in Worcester Superior Court with rape of a child; aggravated indecent assault and battery on a child; depicting minors in sexual conduct; human trafficking of a minor; possession of child pornography; distribution of child pornography; and intimidation of a witness. According to court documents, Latimer was arrested in February 2024 and is facing charges in Worcester Superior Court of rape of a child, aggravated indecent assault and battery of a child, human trafficking of a minor and depicting a minor in sexual conduct.

The charge of sexual exploitation of a minor provides for a mandatory minimum sentence of 15 years and up to 30 years in prison, up to a lifetime of supervised release and a fine of $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy; Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; Worcester Police Chief Paul B. Saucier; and Oxford Police Chief Michael K. Daniels made the announcement. Valuable assistance was provided by Rhode Island State Police and Massachusetts State Police. Assistant U.S. Attorney Kristen M. Noto of the Worcester Branch Office is prosecuting the case.

This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.

The details contained in the charging document are allegations. The defendants are presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in the court of law.”-Massachusetts Department of Justice.

“The 34-year-old Fall River man who was shot last Friday night near the intersection of Nashua and Blackstone streets died yesterday afternoon at Saint Luke’s Hospital in New Bedford.

The death of Joshua Medeiros is now being investigated by our office as a homicide.

The investigation is being coordinated by Homicide Unit prosecutor, Russ Eonas, and will be conducted by Massachusetts State Police detectives assigned to the district attorney’s office and detectives from the Fall River Police Department.

This is an active and ongoing investigation and no further information on the facts of the case can be publicly disseminated at this time.”-Bristol County District Attorney’s Office.

Video by Carlos Pimental Felix:

“The investigation into the 4/21/2023 inmate uprising at the Bristol County Sheriff’s Office was concluded several months ago and charges have been filed with the Bristol County District Attorney.

DA Quinn has followed through with our recommendation to prosecute several individuals under Chapter 266 Section 129: Correctional institutions; injury to property. Section 129. An inmate of a correctional institution of the commonwealth who willfully and maliciously destroys or injures the property of the commonwealth at such correctional institution, or the property of any person who furnishes materials for the employment of the prisoners, may be sentenced to the state prison for not more than three years.

At the time there were about 75 inmates on the housing unit. We suspected about 15-20 participated in the damage to the housing unit. We only had video evidence of 5 inmates destroying BCSO property. The BCSO did not charge more inmates under Chapter 266 because we did not feel the charges would result in a conviction.

I also look forward to releasing video of the 5 inmate’s behavior while being destructive in the housing unit. It will show who did what in terms of damage, but it will also show that the majority of the inmates were not involved with the destruction. We first need to let this video evidence be presented to a jury for the first time in court; we don’t want to undermine the charges by potentially biasing a jury prior to seeing the video before they see it in court.

The following inmates have all been charged and arraigned in New Bedford District Court.

• Hector Abreau Garcia: 7 Counts
Arraigned on 11/7/23

• Aaron Gagnon: 7 Counts
Arraigned on 1/5/24

• Shane Burnett: 1 Count
Arraigned on 1/23/24

• Norman Dias: 1 Count
Arraigned on 1/5/24

• Jason Frasca: 1 Count
Arraigned on 1/5/24.”-Bristol County Sheriff’s Office.

All photos by the Bristol County Sheriff’s Office:

“BOSTON – A California man was sentenced yesterday in federal court in Springfield, Mass. for conspiring to smuggle tianeptine, a highly-addictive drug that claims to enhance mood and cognitive functioning, into the United States from China.

Ryan M. Stabile, 37, of Pasadena, Calif., was sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Mark G. Mastroianni to two years in prison, to be followed by three years of supervised release. Stabile was also ordered to pay a forfeiture of $1,833,922. In September 2023, Stabile pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy and two counts of introduction of misbranded drugs with intent to defraud and mislead.

Massachusetts Department of Justice photo.

“Mr. Stabile knew how addicting and dangerous tianeptine was and yet it did not stop him from smuggling the illegal drug into the United States and selling it under false pretenses,” said Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy. “He continued to profit off the addiction of others even after he was indicted.”

“Misbranded and unapproved drugs that are smuggled from overseas can present a serious health risk to those who buy and use them. Tianeptine is an unsafe drug that is not approved for any use in the United States. All smuggled drugs carry additional risks of unknown ingredients and unknown manufacturing conditions,” Fernando McMillan, Special Agent in Charge of the United States Food and Drug Administration’s Office of Criminal Investigation. “We will continue to investigate and bring to justice those who attempt to traffic in these dangerous, misbranded, and unapproved drug products.”

White resealable packets containing drugs on a table, Stabile was the owner of Supplements for Work, a company which sold the misbranded drug tianeptine, commonly known as gas station heroin, online. Stabile, through his company, marketed tianeptine as a mood enhancer and claimed that it improved cognitive functioning and falsely represented that he was selling tianeptine for research purposes only, even though he sold tianeptine to individuals for personal use.

Massachusetts Department of Justice photo.

Stabile smuggled tianeptine in multi-kilogram quantities from China into the United States, importing between 10-15 kilograms of tianeptine per month from a Chinese supplier. Once received, Stabile divided and repackaged the tianeptine and resold it on his websites in five-gram, 10-gram and 20-gram quantities for prices between $55 and $175. Stabile’s tianeptine sales averaged $250,000 per month and comprised 95 percent of his company’s profits.

Additionally, following his indictment by a federal grand jury in November 2019, Stabile continued to sell tianeptine on the internet for several years while on pre-trial release, under a different company and website called Ultra Vulgar Festival Drip.

In total, Stabile made at least $2.2 million in illegal tianeptine sales.

Acting U.S. Attorney Levy and FDA SAC McMillan made the announcement. Assistant U.S. Attorney Deepika Bains Shukla, Chief of the Springfield Branch Office prosecuted the case.”-Massachusetts Department of Justice.

Tianeptine, a highly-addictive drug that claims to enhance mood and cognitive functioning.

“BOSTON – A New Bedford man has pleaded guilty in federal court in Boston to his role in a drug trafficking organization operating in Southeastern Massachusetts and Rhode Island.

According to the Massachusetts Department of Justice, 46-year-old Jose Santiago pleaded guilty this week to conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute fentanyl. U.S. District Court Judge Allison D. Burroughs scheduled sentencing for May 7, 2024. Santiago was indicted by a federal grand jury in August 2022.

Between approximately April 2022 and approximately June 2022, Santiago purchased fentanyl from the DTO that he then redistributed to others. Intercepted calls captured Santiago discussing purchasing fentanyl from the DTO.

The charge of conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute fentanyl provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, at least three years and up to life of supervised release and a fine of up to $1 million. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

Acting United States Attorney Joshua S. Levy; Brian D. Boyle, Special Agent in Charge of the Drug Enforcement Administration, Boston Field Division; New Bedford Police Chief Paul Oliveira; and Fairhaven Police Chief Michael J. Myers made the announcement. Special assistance was provided by the Massachusetts State Police; Homeland Security Investigations; Bristol County Sherriff’s Office; and Fall River, Taunton, Attleboro, Scituate, Yarmouth, Providence (R.I.) and West Warwick (R.I.) Police Departments. Assistant U.S. Attorney John T. Mulcahy of the Narcotics & Money Laundering Unit is prosecuting the case.”-Massachusetts Department of Justice.

“An 18-year-old former New Bedford man indicted for the July 2023 shooting of a New Bedford Police detective was arrested this afternoon at Logan International Airport in Boston, Bristol County District Attorney Thomas M. Quinn III announced.

Denzel Gomes was arrested by Massachusetts State Police and New Bedford Police shortly after his flight from Portugal landed at the airport. The defendant was indicted last September on charges of Armed Assault to Murder, Attempted Assault and Battery with a Firearm, Assault and Battery with a Firearm, Assault and Battery with a Dangerous Weapon-Causing Serious Bodily Injury and Carrying an Illegal Firearm.

The defendant will be held in jail overnight and arraigned in Fall River Superior Court tomorrow morning.

The defendant is accused of shooting and injuring New Bedford Police Detective Lavar Gilbert, and another civilian, on July 17, 2023 at the intersection of Orchard and Rivet streets.

“I would like to thank the efforts of law enforcement agencies on the federal level who we worked closely with, including US Customs and Border Protection, the US Marshals and the ATF, for their persistence and follow through in helping us locate the defendant. I am pleased he has now been arrested and apprehended for this violent and lawless shooting that seriously injured detective Gilbert and injured another person,” District Attorney Quinn said.

An extensive grand jury investigation into the shooting, headed up by Assistant District Attorneys Shawn Guilderson and Matthew Sylvia and conducted jointly by Massachusetts State Police Detectives assigned to DA Quinn’s office and New Bedford Police Detectives, resulted in the September 28, 2023 indictment.

After the indictment was returned, it was determined that the defendant had already left the country.

With the assistance of the US Marshals, agents with the US Customs and Border Protection and ATF agents, investigators identified and located the defendant boarding a flight today bound for Boston. The defendant was arrested in Boston without incident.

Because the defendant has yet to be arraigned in open court on these charges, no further information about the facts of the case can be disseminated until he is arraigned tomorrow.

“I am very pleased to know that the fugitive responsible for injuring one of our detectives during a recent shooting is now in custody. I’m thankful for the combined efforts of our dedicated law enforcement community in capturing the suspect,” New Bedford Police Chief Paul Oliveira said. “I would also like to acknowledge the particularly tenacious efforts of Detective Jordan Ferreira. This incident highlights the importance of unity between agencies and the relentless pursuit of dangerous criminals.”

All photos by by Carlos Pimental Felix:

Videos by Carlos Pimental Felix: