Latest news with #SuffolkCountySuperiorCourt
Yahoo
23-04-2025
- Yahoo
Four found guilty of operating Boston-area sex trafficking ring
Four people have been found guilty of operating a Boston-area sex trafficking ring that trafficked Central and South American women in four residential brothels, the Massachusetts Attorney General's Office announced Tuesday. Following a five-week trial, a Suffolk County Superior Court jury convicted 52-year-old Saugus resident Cristina Lasso, 38-year-old Lynn resident Jose Deblas, 43-year-old East Boston resident Marlon Nagano and 60-year-old Chelsea resident Jorge Lasso of charges related to operating four residential brothels, the attorney general's office said in a press release. The brothels were located in East Boston, Chelsea and Lynn and were in operation from October 2018 to July 2019. Women from Central and South America were rotated through the brothels on a weekly basis, and dozens of customers paid the defendants to have sex with the women each day, the attorney general's office said. Cristina Lasso was the head of the organization, and Jorge Lasso, Deblas and Nagano assisted her by recruiting victims, advertising sexual services, setting up appointments for sexual encounters, transporting women to and from the brothels and facilitating the exchange of money. Cristina Lasso was found guilty of four counts of trafficking persons for sexual servitude, maintaining a house of prostitution, keeping a house of ill fame and one count of money laundering, the attorney general's office said. Deblas was found guilty of one count of trafficking persons for sexual servitude, two counts of maintaining a house of prostitution, two counts of keeping a house of ill fame and one count of money laundering. Nagano was found guilty of one count of trafficking persons for sexual servitude, maintaining a house of prostitution and money laundering and two counts of keeping a house of ill fame, the attorney general's office said. Jorge Lasso was found guilty of one count of trafficking persons for sexual servitude and money laundering. The four defendants are scheduled to be sentenced in Suffolk Superior Court on May 2. FBI analyst calls Hadley man's small stash of plutonium 'not that big of a deal' Allston man held without bail in connection with death ruled a homicide Allston man arrested in connection with person's death ruled a homicide Woman, 2 teens and child hurt in shooting, stabbing in Mattapan home Man carrying loaded rifle arrested in Mattapan after 'violent struggle,' police say
New York Times
20-03-2025
- Politics
- New York Times
In Sports-Crazed Boston, a Fight Over a Women's Soccer Stadium
For nearly 50 years, the ramshackle White Stadium in Frederick Law Olmsted's Franklin Park in Boston has been a monument to neglect. The peeling paint and potholed track a testament to a neighborhood long victimized by the city's politics of race. Now, this stadium may finally be getting a second life as the home of one of the National Women's Soccer League's newest franchises. But in sports-crazed Boston, not everyone is happy. The proposal to renovate White Stadium is now at the heart of a legal challenge playing out in Suffolk County Superior Court. It is also the focus of a political dispute among the families atop Boston's glittering sports franchises. The stadium battle has landed in the city's mayoral race, in the form of a candidate, Josh Kraft, the son of Robert, the owner of the New England Patriots. Josh Kraft is against the proposal for the city to split the $191 million renovation cost with the owners of the new women's soccer team, a group called Boston Unity Soccer Partners. 'You have all the ingredients for what makes Boston Boston — sports, politics, intrigue and all involving some well-known families,' said Paul Scapicchio, a former member of the City Council. The stakes are high. The soccer team's expansion rights can be revoked if it doesn't have a FIFA-level venue ready by next spring. (The team has not decided on an official name yet.) 'As Boston Unity Soccer Partners continues our long-overdue revitalization of White Stadium,' the team said in a statement ahead of the trial, which is expected to wrap up this week, 'our team is thrilled to bring professional women's soccer to Boston and to collaborate with the city of Boston on enriching the community through our joint renovation of a beloved neighborhood landmark.' It all started civic-minded enough (and at a far lower price tag, of $50 million) when Boston Unity Soccer Partners approached Mayor Michelle Wu in 2023 with a plan for a renovation of the 10,000-seat White Stadium, which is owned by the city and used for public school athletic events. Boston Unity Soccer Partners, the women-led group that owns the city's new women's soccer team, is a who's who of prominent Boston business executives. Its controlling owner, Jennifer Epstein, is a co-owner of the Boston Celtics. Linda Henry, the chief executive of The Boston Globe and wife of John Henry, the Red Sox owner, was also part of the group until she left amid the mounting outcry. (In another twist of Boston sports and big money, it was reported on Thursday that the Celtics are being sold to a new owner, though the deal still needs to be approved by the league.) The deal offered for the soccer stadium was straightforward. In return for paying half of the renovation costs, the group would take a long-term lease for 20 games and 20 practices a year, as well as a share of profits from tickets, advertising and concessions with the city. Boston Public School students could use the rehabilitated stadium the rest of the time. Before long, the proposal had the mayor's backing. 'I'm a mom, my kids are in the Boston public schools, and I'm in schools every week — our facilities are failing them,' Mayor Wu said in an interview. 'This is the only facility for student-athletes, and it has been crumbling for 40 years. Our students deserve a complex that matches all they are pouring into their growth and development.' The stadium, built in 1947, has long been an eyesore and a source of exasperation in this working-class neighborhood. After holding more than 60 public meetings, the city won the support for the proposed renovation deal from many public-school parents and more than 40 youth sports organizations. For others, however, the thought of using nearly $100 million of taxpayer money so some of Boston's wealthiest movers and shakers could build a stadium for a professional soccer team, complete with luxury suites and a beer garden, was too much. The opposition goes beyond snarled traffic and thousands of people streaming through their yards and sidewalks. 'This is parkland in a Black and brown neighborhood, and you have a money grab by some of the city's most powerful people,' said Rodney Singleton, a local resident and one of the plaintiffs who have sued to block the deal. 'They wouldn't try to do this in Boston Common.' Karen Mauney-Brodek, the president of the Emerald Necklace Conservancy, an advocacy group for Boston's 1,100 acres of parkland, said many in the community felt bullied by Mayor Wu's push to do the stadium deal and The Boston Globe's encouragement to do so from its editorial page. Last month, Linda Henry announced she was exiting the investor group. Through a spokeswoman, she declined to say why. Many in the opposition have accused The Globe of cheerleading for the soccer team. The newspaper's rival, The Boston Herald, is against the stadium deal and has frequently pointed out Ms. Henry's early involvement. When the parks conservancy suggested a far less costly renovation — $30 million — that balanced the needs of students and maintained the character of the park, Ms. Mauney-Brodek said the city was not interested. The conservancy's proposal did not include plans for the professional soccer team to play there. 'This is not about economics of sports but about a community's self-determination,' she said. 'It's been this take-it-or-leave-it offer. It's not considerate or thoughtful. These parks are essential.' The conservancy found an ally last month when Josh Kraft announced he was entering the mayor's race. He is new to politics but is hardly unknown. He worked at the Boys and Girls Clubs of Boston for 30 years and served as the group's president. 'The communities around Franklin Park and the people of Boston are not on board with Mayor Wu's plan to pour $100 million, or possibly more, in public money into a project that primarily benefits a private commercial interest,' Mr. Kraft said in a statement. 'To race ahead in this moment in the face of so many legitimate community concerns is a complete and total failure of leadership.' This being Boston, Mayor Wu is in a standoff over a second soccer stadium. And this dispute also involves the Krafts. The Kraft Group wants to build a stand-alone, 25,000-seat stadium in neighboring Everett, Mass., for the Major League Soccer team it owns, the New England Revolution. To help clear the way for that stadium, the state Legislature removed the 'Designated Port Area' for a 43-acre parcel on the Mystic River, where the facility would be built near the Encore Boston Harbor resort and casino. Since the Everett site is adjacent to Boston, the Krafts need to strike a community mitigation agreement with the city over issues like traffic and environmental concerns. The Kraft Group has offered to pay the city $750,000, far below the $68 million that Wynn Resorts paid the city in its community mitigation deal to build its casino. 'That's not even a starting point,' Mayor Wu said. The Kraft Group declined to comment on the negotiations. If a deal is not struck between parties by May 1, a mediator would need to get involved. Meanwhile, the demolition of White Stadium has already started across town. Beth Santos and Dorothy Fennell have rallied public school parents and students to back the proposed renovation. Both live in the neighborhood. Ms. Santos owns the nearby Ula Cafe. They said a makeover for White Stadium is long overdue. 'There is a persistent and noisy group that wants things to stay as they are,' Ms. Santos said. 'This is an opportunity to invest in our neighborhood, to give our kids and community something to be proud of. That park has been ignored for 50 years.'
