Seven Massachusetts – Seven men in Massachusetts were arrested and charged after federal investigators said they orchestrated a fake online escort advertisement offering access to a 14-year-old girl. The men were taken into custody around planned meetings tied to human trafficking
For several men in Massachusetts, the message was clear once they got the reply: the supposed escort was 14 years old. Federal investigators say the men were told that detail through a fictitious online ad—and still agreed to meet anyway.
The FBI’s Boston division announced Tuesday that it arrested seven Massachusetts men as part of a child exploitation operation involving sex trafficking and child sexual exploitation allegations that ran before, during, and after World Cup matches. The arrests came between June 12 and June 16.
The men facing federal charges are Kenneth M. Berry, 45, of Middleborough; Manjil Bhusal, 21, of Somerville; Jonathan Matthew William Durocher, 34, of Brockton; Trevon Hubbard, 31, of Middleborough; Krish R. Patel, 26, of Quincy; and Gerald Sabatinelli, 71, of Hyannis. Authorities said all seven were taken into custody after investigators created a fake online escort advertisement purporting to offer access to a 14-year-old girl.
Federal authorities said the seven men—Aguilar. Berry. Bhusal. Hubbard. Patel. and Sabatinelli—contacted the advertisement and were informed the purported escort was 14 years old. Despite learning that age. investigators said the men agreed to proceed with a meeting and later arrived at a predetermined location. where they were taken into custody.
The FBI said the men are charged with sex for a fee with a child under 18. enticement of a child under 16. and attempted rape of a child. Investigators said details involving Durocher’s alleged interactions with minors were not immediately available because a statement of facts had not been filed in court as of Tuesday night.
All seven men were arraigned in Brockton District Court and pleaded not guilty, court records show.
Bail and conditions varied. According to court filings. Aguilar. Berry. Bhusal. Hubbard. and Patel were released on $1. 000 bail and ordered to have no contact with anyone younger than 18. Sabatinelli remained held at the Plymouth County House of Correction after failing to post $1,000 bail. Durocher was ordered to stay away from children under 16, and online court records did not list his bail conditions.
The men are scheduled to return to court in late July or early August.
Patrick Noonan, an attorney representing Patel and Durocher, told Boston.com that he had no comment on the case as of Tuesday night. Attorneys representing Bhusal, Hubbard, and Sabatinelli did not respond to requests for comment Tuesday night. Attorneys for Aguilar and Berry could not be reached.
By the time they arrived at the predetermined location. federal investigators said the outcome had already been set: the contact they made started with a fake ad offering access to a 14-year-old girl. and the next steps ended with arrests—built around the moment they learned the age of the person allegedly offered in the advertisement and still moved forward.
FBI Boston child exploitation charges Massachusetts arrests online escort ad Brockton District Court child sexual exploitation attempted rape of a child
Damn. How do people not automatically bail when they hear 14?
Why are they calling it an escort ad like that’s normal??
This sounds like one of those “bait ads” things but still… if they met anyway then it’s on them. Also why was it around World Cup matches?? Like that part matters somehow.
Wait, so they were charged with “sex for a fee with a child under 18” and “attempted rape”?? I’m not saying I support it, I just don’t get how it’s attempted rape if nothing happened. But I guess they were going to, and the meeting was the plan. Still seems like courts always stack charges.
So they got tricked by a fake ad and still went?? That just sounds like entrapment to me. But also I guess who in their right mind meets an “escort” if it’s saying 14. Either way, this is disgusting.
Man I hate reading this, but I also feel like they’re setting people up online more and more. Like you see an escort ad and then boom FBI. People don’t think straight though, I get that, but 14 is like… come on. One of these guys is 71 too?? I don’t care if the ad was fake, the message was right there. World Cup too?? Probably just coincidence, but headlines like that make it seem organized like it was a whole event or something.
The World Cup matches thing is weird like they timed it for hype or crowds or something. Also I don’t get why they mention the statement of facts not filed yet… like ok but are we sure those charges stick? Doesn’t feel like we should be naming people before everything is proved.
This happens way more than people want to admit. I’m surprised it took “planned meetings” to catch them, like couldn’t they do this sooner? And 71 years old?? Cmon man. Also the article says they were informed it was 14 and they agreed anyway—so that’s not a mistake, that’s a choice. They should get the maximum. But then again the ad was fake so maybe some of them never actually did anything?? idk, I just hate this stuff.