A 61-year-old man who had been living on the lam in South Carolina for 17 years before being apprehended was convicted late last month of child rape and other related charges, Bristol County District Attorney Thomas M. Quinn III announced.

John Rodrigues of Anderson, SC, pleaded guilty in Fall River superior Court on March 23 to indictments charging him with two counts of rape of a child with force, three counts of indecent assault and battery on a person under 14 and one count of attempted indecent assault and battery on a person under 14.

Most of the rapes and molestation occurred in New Bedford on various dates from 1995 through 1997. In August 2002, the defendant attempted to molest his young neighbor, but the victim stopped him and told her mother. This disclosure led two other young girls to also come forward to report their prior victimization. The defendant, however, fled the state immediately after the August 2000 incident.

Charges issued against the defendant in 2002 and several attempts were made to locate him over the years. In 2017, he was finally tracked down to Anderson, SC and was apprehended without incident.

Between 1995 and 1997, this defendant sexually assaulted two pre-teen girls in New Bedford on multiple occasions. These two victims, who are now 27 and 34 years old, both submitted written victim impact statements to the court during the defendant’s sentencing hearing on March 23. They both described how the crimes perpetrated against them had long-lasting effects on their lives.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Matthew Friedel and Judge Sharon Donatelle sentenced the defendant to serve 10 years in state prison, to be followed by five years of supervised probation.

“The defendant took advantage of his position of trust and committed numerous acts of sexual abuse against his young nieces and a third victim. After getting caught, he fled to South Carolina where he was apprehended 17 years later,” District Attorney Quinn said. “I commend the victims for coming forward and for their perseverance in trying to move on with their lives despite the terrible trauma caused by the defendant. I hope they can find some sense of peace.”

CORRECTION: An earlier press releases stated there was one arrest, when in fact there were two arrests.

“On April 2 NBPD Narcotics and Gang Detectives seized approximately 88.5 grams of Fentanyl, a small amount of cocaine and $2,578 from a Nissan Altima in the parking lot area of 85 Coggeshall St.

Daejhon Gomes, 23, 2 Shawmut Ave., the target of the search warrant, was charged with trafficking Fentanyl and Hector Nieves, 27, 173 Coggeshall St., Apt. #1, was charged with drug possession. Nieves was arrested last July for trafficking cocaine and fentanyl. Both of his cases are pending in District Court.

Detective Bruce Szyndlar investigated the case.

If anyone has any information regarding the vehicle or operator who fled, please contact New Bedford Police at 508-991-6300.”

A Cambridge woman was arrested today and charged with stealing Social Security benefits and committing wire fraud to receive Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (“SNAP”) benefits, formerly known as Food Stamps.

Shirley Buchanan, 66, was indicted on one count of theft of public funds and three counts of wire fraud. She is scheduled to make an initial appearance today before U.S. District Court Magistrate Judge Jennifer Boal this afternoon.

According to the indictment, Buchanan maintained and used two Social Security numbers under two different names, both of which she applied for and received Social Security benefits under. Buchanan also allegedly applied for and received SNAP benefits she was not entitled to using the two names and numbers. As a result, Buchanan stole approximately $184,410 in Social Security benefits from March 1993 through November 2018, as well as approximately $12,916.89 in SNAP benefits from February 2012 through April 2020.

The charge of theft of public funds provides for a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000 or twice the gross gain or loss, whichever is greater. The charge of wire fraud provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of $250,000 or twice the gross gain or loss, whichever is greater. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Acting United States Attorney Nathaniel R. Mendell; Tonya Perkins, Special Agent in Charge of the Social Security Administration, Office of Inspector General, Office of Investigations, Boston Field Division; and Suzanne M. Bump, State Auditor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts made the announcement today. Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Karen Burzycki of Mendell’s Major Crimes Unit is prosecuting the case.

A 28-year-old New Bedford man who took part in the vicious beating of another man was convicted last month during a six-person Fall River Superior Court jury trial, Bristol County District Attorney Thomas M. Quinn III announced.

Kevin Aquino was convicted by the jury of his peers of an indictment charging him with assault and battery with a dangerous weapon–resulting in serious bodily injury. After his conviction, Judge Renee Dupuis sentenced the defendant to serve four to six years in state prison.

The conviction may be the first of its kind in modern Massachusetts history. Superior Court juries have long been comprised of 12 members, but due to the ongoing Covid-19 Pandemic, the trial court system recently began allowing for a limited number of six-person jury trials in the Superior Court. According to the new rules of limited superior court trials, the defendant must first consent to the reduced number of jurors, which in this case did occur.

The defendant stood accused—along with co-defendants whose cases still remain pending—of driving to the intersection of Phillips and Acushnet avenues to confront a male victim. Surveillance footage from the incident, which occurred around 12:40 am on June 2, 2019, show the defendant drive his 2007 Nissan Altima to the intersection. Within moments of arriving, the defendants backseat passengers emerged from the car and began attacking the victim. While the backseat passengers were attacking the victim, the defendant and a front seat passenger also exited the vehicle and entered the area where the attack was ongoing. Surveillance footage shows this defendant pick up the victim’s baseball cap and place it over his face as he laid on his back, apparently unconscious.

The victim was rushed to St. Luke’s Hospital before being transferred to Rhode Island Hospital due to the severity of his injuries. He went into cardiac arrest after being intubated and had no pulse for four minutes. He suffered multiple complex facial fractures, a broken ankle and is at risk for blindness in the future due to the injuries sustained.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Jeanne Veenstra and the trial lasted three days. The jury returned its verdict on March 19.

“I am very pleased that the jury convicted the defendant for his role in the brutal assault on the victim, who almost lost his life. A defendant has always had a right to trial by a 12-person jury in superior court. Because of the pandemic, the SJC issued an order allowing for a defendant to consent to a six-person jury trial in superior court. This defendant consented. This appears to be the first case in the history of Massachusetts and Bristol County where a defendant was tried and convicted before a jury of six in superior court,” District Attorney Quinn said.

“We have recently been harassed and vandalized by a God-fearing Christian who thinks we do evil.

She is a repeat offender and nothing is being done about it. She douses the shop with holy water, burns small sage fires, steals my cart, and tonight (4th offense I’ve called police for) she engulfed the plant/pumpkin cart in flames threatening the safety of the tenants who live above the shop, including an elderly woman on oxygen that lives upstairs.

Police have not yet heeded our warnings that this would escalate.

We ask all of you who are part of our dear witch family and community to PLEASE keep an eye out for ANY suspicious activity, and to call 911 immediately if necessary.

Then PLEASE immediately call the shop line at 774.202.1365 and please report it to Lucky!

This is NOT 1692!!!
THIS IS A HATE CRIME!!!
THE GODS DO NOT SLEEP!
JUSTICE WILL BE SERVED!!!
SMIB!!!!”

All photos by Sanctum Folklorica:

“On Friday, April 2, 2021, at approximately 8:00 p.m., Dartmouth Police were dispatched to a home regarding a domestic dispute.

Upon arrival, officers learned that one of the involved parties had been slashed several times with a razor knife, the worst wound being an approximate 11” long, ¼” deep laceration.

After interviewing both the victim and other witnesses, officers arrested a 38-year-old Dartmouth man, and charged him with assault and battery with a dangerous weapon.

The victim was transported to a local hospital to have their non-life-threatening wounds treated.

In order to protect the identity of the victim, neither the names of anyone involved nor the location of the incident are being released.” -Dartmouth Police Department.

“On April 1, 2021, after a narcotics investigation, Lakeville Police Officers executed a search warrant at 5 Commercial Drive, 4-305.

As a result, officers seized $7,400 in cash, various prescription medication, and a large quantity of suspected Fentanyl and Heroin. Joshua Lerner, 28, was arrested at the scene and charged with the following:

-Trafficking Fentanyl, more than 100 grams
-Possession with intent to distribute Fentanyl
-Possession with intent to distribute Suboxone
-Possession of class B, C, and E drugs

Lerner was arraigned in Wareham District Court on Friday, April 2nd. The investigation was conducted by Officer Fazzino, who was assisted by Officer Schiffer and other members of the LPD.” -Lakeville Police Department .

A 55-year-old Rhode Island man with an extensive criminal rap sheet dating back to the 1980s was sentenced to serve four to six years in state prison this week after pleading guilty to charges related to a May 2020 break-in and robbery at a Seekonk convenience store, Bristol County District Attorney Thomas M. Quinn III announced.

Dennis Bautista, formerly of Warwick and Cranston, pleaded guilty in Fall River Superior Court on Wednesday afternoon to indictments charging him with Breaking and Entering During the Daytime with the Intent to Commit a Felony, and Larceny from a Building.

On May 20, 2020, at approximately 5:30 am Seekonk Police were dispatched to Quick Stop Mini Mart for an alarm call. The glass door of the business was smashed, the trash was knocked over and the cash register and a box of coins was reported missing.

Exterior store surveillance at 5:16 am clearly depicts a dark Toyota Camry with Rhode Island plates pulled up in the front of the store. A male wearing a light-colored mask, blue pants, black sneakers, blue shirt, dark zip-up sweatshirt, and dark knit hat exited the car, retrieved a tire iron from the trunk, smashed the glass door, kicked in the rest of the glass and entered the store. The suspect was then seen exiting the store with the cash register, which he put it in the rear of the car. He then re-entered the store and exited again with a box. He then got back into the Camry and drove toward Providence.

The defendant was tracked to an apartment complex in Cranston, RI known as Arlington Manor. Surveillance video from inside the complex showed the suspect leaving a friend’s apartment at 4:29 a.m. on the morning of the crime, wearing the same clothing as the suspect was wearing during the robbery.

After being positively identified as the culprit, the defendant was arrested without incident.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Jeanne Veenstra and the state prison sentence was imposed by Judge Raffi Yessayan.

At the time of his arrest, the defendant had been out of prison for just over six months. He was on probation for a previous larceny and breaking and entering case. In addition to conviction in the mid-2010s in Taunton and Wrentham District Courts, the defendant also has a 14-page criminal record in Rhode Island, which includes numerous jail and prison sentences for property/theft-related offenses.

“The defendant has a criminal history of more than 35 years for stealing and breaking into buildings. He was on probation for the same crime when he broke into the business in Seekonk. The defendant is a career criminal who needs to be kept off the streets to protect the public,” District Attorney Quinn said.

Massachusetts State Troopers were assisting Lowell Police Department officers after Lowell residents made multiple complaints about several people riding their dirt bikes and ATVs on the street in a “reckless and dangerous” manner.

After state troopers spotted a dirt biker rider driving erratically, they signaled him to stop several times but their pleas were ignored. The rider instead sped up, slamming into a cruiser and injuring the trooper inside before striking a second car. He then got up and tried to continue fleeing before being apprehended.

Police have not released the identity of the dirt bike rider, only identifying him as a 21-year old male.

Injuries to the trooper were to both his upper and lower body but minor in nature.

A former member of the New Bedford Chapter of the Massachusetts Almighty Latin King and Queen Nation (“Latin Kings”) pleaded guilty yesterday to racketeering and drug charges.

Michael Marrero, a/k/a “King Clumsy,” 40, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to conduct enterprise affairs through a pattern of racketeering activity, more commonly referred to as RICO conspiracy. U.S. Senior District Court Judge Rya W. Zobel scheduled sentencing for July 1, 2021.

The Latin Kings are a violent criminal enterprise comprised of thousands of members across the United States. The Latin Kings adhere to a national manifesto, employ an internal judiciary and use a sophisticated system of communication to maintain the hierarchy of the organization. As alleged in court documents, the gang uses drug distribution to generate revenue, and engages in violence against witnesses and rival gangs to further its influence and to protect its turf.

According to court documents, Marrero served as the Inca, or leader, of the Springfield Chapter of the Latin Kings until 2019, when he was appointed as Enforcer for the State of Massachusetts. In these leadership roles, Marrero attended meetings of the gang and state leadership where the business of the gang was discussed and decisions concerning members and operation of the gang were decided. In August 2019, Marrero was captured on a recording in the basement of a Latin Kings controlled trap house in New Bedford bagging and preparing 62 grams of cocaine base for distribution.

In December 2019, a federal grand jury returned an indictment alleging racketeering conspiracy, drug conspiracy and firearms charges against 62 leaders, members and associates of the Latin Kings. Marrero is the 42nd defendant to plead guilty in the case.

The RICO conspiracy charge provides for a sentence of up to 20 years in prison, three years 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 other statutory factors.

Acting United States Attorney Nathaniel R. Mendell; Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Field Division; Commissioner Carol Mici of the Massachusetts Department of Correction; and New Bedford Police Chief Joseph C. Cordeiro made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was also provided by the FBI North Shore Gang Task Force and the Bristol County and Suffolk County District Attorney’s Offices. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Philip A. Mallard and Lauren A. Graber of Mendell’s Criminal Division are prosecuting the case.

This effort is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETF) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at https://www.justice.gov/OCDETF.

The details contained in the charging documents are allegations. The remaining defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.