DA Rollins: Child Sexual Assault Defendant Allegedly Used Smartphone App to Share Child Pornography

DA Rollins: Child Sexual Assault Defendant Allegedly Used Smartphone App to Share Child Pornography

BOSTON, March 20, 2019 — Suffolk County District Attorney Rachael Rollins today announced the indictment of an East Boston man for sexually assaulting one child, enticing another to create child pornography for him, and transmitting dozens of graphic sexual images of minors through a smartphone application.

A Suffolk County grand jury yesterday returned indictments charging DOMENIC D’AMORE, 29, of East Boston with:

·         three counts of indecent assault and battery on a child under 14,

·         four counts of trafficking in persons for sexual servitude,

·         four counts of dissemination of matter harmful to a minor,

·         three counts of posing a child in a state of nudity,

·         eight counts of dissemination of child pornography,

·         two counts of possession of child pornography, and

·         two counts of possession with intent to distribute child pornography.

D’Amore was arraigned in January in Chelsea District Court in connection with the case.  Yesterday’s indictments move the case to Suffolk Superior Court, where it will be adjudicated.

“These charges are disturbing and represent some of the worst crimes against children,” District Attorney Rollins said.  “Survivors who have been exploited through child pornography may never be fully able to put these offenses in the past, because the images of their abuse live on.  They bear the pain of knowing that individuals across the globe – and possibly even in their own community – are viewing photos and videos of the most painful and degrading moments of their lives.”

The charges stem from an investigation that began in December when workers at a Revere pawn shop notified Revere Police that they found images depicting child pornography on a phone that the defendant sold at the business.  A forensic examination of that phone and a second phone belonging to the defendant revealed hundreds of graphic images and videos of children being sexually abused or posed in a sexual manner.   Prosecutors said that the defendant had shared and received similar graphic images through the Kik app on multiple occasions, including a single day in November during which he allegedly shared at least 75 files containing child pornography.  Detectives also became aware that an email service provider filed two CyberTips with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children that each report separate instances of images identified as child pornography being uploaded to an email account.  Police determined that the email account belonged to the defendant. 

In messages sent on Kik, the defendant allegedly made statements that he had sexually abused a young child who was known to him.  The child underwent a forensic interview at the Children’s Advocacy Center of Suffolk County and disclosed abuse by the defendant.

He is also charged with trafficking in persons for sexual servitude for allegedly enticing a teenage victim to create child pornography.  In a text exchange discovered on a second phone belonging to the defendant, he allegedly made statements offering to pay the victim in return for sexual images and acts and instructed the teen to pose nude in photos.  In addition to receiving those photographs from the victim, the defendant is also accused of sending sexual images to the child.

“Allegations like these are incredibly difficult for many adults to fathom, but in order to protect the children in our lives, we have to talk about and acknowledge the potential risks that exist online,” District Attorney Rollins said.  “It’s vital that parents and guardians have open discussions with their children about ways they can stay safe, both online and off.  Above all, children need to know that they can talk to caring adults in their lives about anything that makes them feel uncomfortable or unsafe and that they won’t get in trouble for what they say. As the parent of a teenager, I know these conversations are difficult and awkward, but our children’s safety, physical, and mental health depend on it.”

While the victims and witnesses of any crime should call 911 in an emergency, there are additional resources available to report suspected crimes against children.  In Suffolk County, survivors of child abuse and exploitation and their non-offending caretakers can receive comprehensive services at the Children’s Advocacy Center of Suffolk County.  The CAC can be reached at 617-779-2146.  Anyone who believes that a child in Massachusetts may be the victim of abuse can call the Department of Children and Families’ Child at Risk Hotline at 1-800-792-5200.  Those concerned that a child is being exploited online may report a Cybertip to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children at 1-800-THE-LOST or www.cybertipline.com. Finally, if parents want help navigating online risks and how to discuss them with children and teens, District Attorney Rollins offers the Stop Block and Talk internet safety training program for caregivers and professionals.  Information on the program and helpful resources can be found at http://www.suffolkdistrictattorney.com/stop-block-and-talk.

Assistant District Attorney Allyson Portney of Rollins’ Human Trafficking and Child Exploitation Unit led the grand jury investigation resulting in today’s indictments.  Catherine McGuane is the DA’s assigned victim witness advocate.  Arraignment in the Magistrate’s Session of Suffolk Superior Court is expected at a later date.

台北生技產業團到訪波士頓 新英格蘭台商會設宴洗塵

台北市府生技產業參訪團訪波士頓。前排右起，林國鐘，
王本仁，蔣宗壬，史美芳，李伊莉，後排右起，謝水龍，
莊玫紅，團長劉佳明，羅一中，李以惠，吳思慧。
(周菊子攝)

         (Boston Orange 周菊子波士頓報導) 台北市長柯文哲即將於三月廿一，廿二日訪問波士頓。共23人的生技產業參訪團已先行抵達，昨(19)日開始參訪行程。

             台北市長柯文哲此行預定訪美9日，17日首站抵達紐約後，接著往華府，亞特蘭大，預定21日抵達波士頓，將拜會波士頓市長，出席”台北生技論壇”，和哈佛大學費正清中心學者閉門座談，與青年學子來一場”柯P與你相談青年的煩惱”。 

               由於波士頓是全美排名第一的生技重鎮，台北市府特地安排了一個共有23人的生技產業參訪團，在三月十九日至廿一日之間，參訪大波士頓內約12個重要生技機構，企業，期以學習波士頓能在近十年間蛻變成全美，甚至全世界生技重鎮的原因，為完善南港生技育成中心，南港生技園做努力。

            生技產業參訪團由工研院產業服務中心主任劉佳明擔任團長，團員包括台北市產業發展局主任莊玫紅，創服育成中心助理執行長詹益鑑，安麗莎(Aulisa)醫療器材董事長連炎等人。

台北生技產業參訪團與新英格蘭台灣商會會長李以蕙
(前左四)等人合影。(周菊子攝)

            3月22日，台北市府還將和工研院、波士頓台灣生物科技協會(BTBA)合作，在麻省理工學院Samberg大樓，舉辦一場”台北生技論壇”。柯文哲將在論壇中粽述台北生技產業發展概況，相關輔導政策。麻州，波士頓，以及劍橋市府均將派代表出席歡迎。麻州生命科學中心(Mass Life Science Center)，麻州生物協會(Mass Bio)將就麻州生物醫藥業概況，以及創新、成長的生態聚落做簡介。會上還將安排企業分享台北和麻州的合作經驗。

            3月19日晚，生技產業參訪團拜會了麻州國際貿易投資辦公室(MOITI)，麻州生命科學中心，麻州生物協會，Ginko Bioworks，麻州挑戰後，新英格蘭台灣商會邀約了和紐英崙玉山科技協會，紐英崙客家鄉親會等本地社團和生技界人士，在Summer Shack設宴歡迎。駐波士頓台北經濟文化辦公室科技組組長謝水龍也應邀出席。

新英格蘭台灣商會會長李以惠表示，大波士頓是全世界矚目的生物重鎮，人才鼎盛，當晚應邀出席者中就有布羅德研究院(Broad Institute)的哈佛大學醫學院副教授許益祥。該會很高興有機會為促進台北與麻州的交流盡一分心力。

新英格蘭台灣商會，紐英崙玉山科協，紐英崙客家鄉親會等僑團歡迎台北生技產業參訪團。
(周菊子攝)

            

BENJAMIN FRANKLIN INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY TO JOIN BOSTON'S TUITION-FREE COMMUNITY COLLEGE PROGRAM

MAYOR WALSH ANNOUNCES BENJAMIN FRANKLIN INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY TO JOIN BOSTON'S TUITION-FREE COMMUNITY COLLEGE PROGRAM Boston's tuition-free community college program to expand to first-ever private college

BOSTON - Wednesday, March 20, 2019 - Mayor Martin J. Walsh today announced the Benjamin Franklin Institute of Technology (BFIT) will be the first private college to participate in Boston's Tuition-Free Community College Plan. Launched by Mayor Walsh in 2016, Boston's Tuition-Free Community College (TFCC) program makes college more affordable for Boston residents who have earned their high school credential. BFIT joins Roxbury Community College, Bunker Hill Community College, and MassBay Community College as a participant in the program. Students enrolled through the program have an average graduation rate of 70 percent over three years, significantly higher than national averages. "BFIT's mission aligns with our commitment to providing a path to the middle class for Boston's young people," said Mayor Walsh. "I am pleased to announce that we are adding BFIT to the list of colleges participating in our Tuition-Free Community College Plan, providing more opportunities for Boston's students to access higher education. When everyone has a chance to move forward, Boston succeeds." BFIT is a Boston-based nonprofit technical college dedicated to meeting the Massachusetts skills shortage by training and educating Greater Boston's diverse, urban youth for well-paying jobs in today's high demand industries. Qualified incoming BFIT students will be able to participate in the program beginning in Fall 2019. More than 90 percent of BFIT students graduate with either a well-paying job or with plans to pursue advanced higher education. Currently, 316 students are attending the three participating community colleges through the program. In the most recent cohort, 84.5 percent of TFCC students identify as African American or Hispanic/Latino. Run by the Mayor's Office of Workforce Development (OWD), TFCC matches students with coaches from  Success Boston to help them navigate the challenges of higher education. Through this two-fold approach - both financial and interpersonal support - the plan aims to help more Boston students afford, attend, and complete college. TFCC is funded through the Neighborhood Jobs Trust, which collects linkage fees from large-scale commercial developments in the city. "The Tuition-Free Community College Plan will make the dream of a college diploma attainable for many more deserving students who otherwise would not be able to afford it," says BFIT President Anthony Benoit. "The program's financial support will allow more of Boston's young people to earn a BFIT degree and qualify for rewarding careers, uplifting themselves, their families, and their communities." Students enrolling in the Tuition-Free Community College Plan must be Boston residents who have graduated from a high school in Boston, graduated from high school as a METCO student or earned their HiSET or GED. The students must also be eligible for a Pell Grant as determined by the U.S. Department of Education and meet HUD guidelines for having a low to moderate household income. Jeremiah E Burke High School senior Ianna Montila is taking free college classes through BFIT's Advanced Standing Associates Program (ASAP). She is looking forward to the financial help the new program can provide when she starts going to BFIT full-time in the fall. "College is really expensive," said Montila.  "I was worried that I wouldn't be able to finish my degree with ASAP, but this opportunity would take a burden off my shoulders. I won't have to feel like I need to work to meet the monthly bill for this class or that class." Montila hopes to earn her associate degree in Biomedical Engineering Technology in 2020. Included in Mayor Walsh's 2019 legislative agenda is "An Act Establishing Tuition Free Community College in Massachusetts (House Bill 1245)," filed by Representative Chynah Tyler. The legislation would authorize a waiver of tuition and mandatory fees for community college courses for certain low income and low- and moderate- income students. In addition, the Mayor's legislative agenda includes a proposal that would allow the City of Boston to adjust the Linkage Program, which is used to fund TFCC as well as other workforce training programs.

STATELESS NATIONAL OF THE PALESTINIAN AUTHORITY CHARGED WITH VISA FRAUD

STATELESS NATIONAL OF THE PALESTINIAN AUTHORITY

CHARGED WITH VISA FRAUD

Defendant lied about involvement with violence along Gaza-Israel border

BOSTON – A stateless national was charged today in federal court in Boston with fraudulent procurement of a U.S. visa and making false statements regarding acts of violence he committed against the Israeli Defense Force (IDF) along the Gaza-Israel border. 

Waad Alzerei, 19, a stateless national of the Palestinian Authority, was charged with visa fraud and making materially false statements.  He is currently in ICE custody and will appear U.S. District Court in Boston this afternoon.

According to the charging documents, on Feb. 27, 2019, Alzerei arrived at Boston’s Logan International Airport on flight from Paris, France, which originated in Cairo, Egypt. Shortly thereafter, two Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) officers interviewed Alzerei to determine whether he met the admissibility requirements to enter the United States.  Alzerei identified himself as a Palestinian citizen and presented a tourist visa. 

He claimed that he was coming to the United States in order to receive medical treatment, but was unable to produce any medical documentation to verify the claim and, instead, presented medical paperwork from 2018.  The CBP officers determined that Alzerei had traveled to the United States in 2017 for a six-month stay.  Alzerei, who had his leg amputated above the knee, was fitted for and provided with a prosthetic leg at the time.   

During a subsequent interview, Alzerei allegedly told CBP officers that he lost his leg on Oct. 23, 2015, when he was shot by a stray bullet from the IDF while picking olives in a field near the Gaza-Israel border. Alzerei stated that, at the time he was shot, there were no protests going on and he was not involved in any type of riot, rally, or demonstration. The CBP officers asked Alzerei if he had ever been “involved in any border riots, rallies, or demonstrations” in his life, and Alzerei responded, “No.” 

The CBP officers then conducted a search of Alzerei’s cell phone and found numerous images and videos demonstrating that Alzerei had a possible affiliation with members of Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) and Hamas, both of which have been designated by the U.S. Government as Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs) since 1997. CBP officers allegedly found photographs that were taken of Alzerei hurling large rocks at the IDF on Oct. 23, 2015, the day he was shot in the leg near the Gaza-Israel border. 

After reviewing the images and videos on Alzerei’s phone, CBP officers conducted another interview with Alzerei, where he admitted that the images depicted him on Oct. 23, 2015—hours before he was shot—slinging rocks at Israeli troops near the Gaza-Israel border. Alzerei allegedly said that he lied on his visa application and to the U.S. Consulate about the circumstances surrounding his injured leg in order to obtain a tourist visa. Alzerei told the CBP officers that he lied because he did not want to get arrested by the Israelis, and also because he knew he would not get a U.S. visa if he told the truth about his activities on Oct. 23, 2015.   

The charge of visa fraud provides for a sentence of no greater than 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a fine of $250,000. The charge of making false statements provides for a sentence of no greater than five years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a fine of $250,000. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based on the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

United States Attorney Andrew Lelling; William Ferrara, Director of Field Operations, U.S. Customs and Border Protection; Joseph R. Bonavolonta, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Field Division; and Peter C. Fitzhugh, Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations, Boston Field Office made the announcement today.  The investigation was conducted by the FBI Boston’s Joint Terrorism Task Force with assistance from U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Assistant U.S. Attorneys B. Stephanie Siegmann and Jason Casey of Lelling’s National Security Unit are prosecuting the case.

The details contained in the charging document are allegations.  The defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.