Boston Criminal Lawyer Blog

In Massachusetts, Robert J. Shea, a basketball coach and custodian at Everett Middle School has been charged with two counts of rape and three counts of indecent assault and battery involving a 12-year-old boy. He has pled not guilty to the charges.

Shea’s arrest on April 6 and the subsequent charges announced on April 7 came a few days after the boy’s mother reported him to police. Prosecutors claim that Shea sexually abused the boy for six months and the abuse incidents occurred in the 57-year-old’s house and at Everett High School.

Shea, an Everett School Department employee for 25 years and a junior varsity basketball coach for 14 years, has expressed shock at the charges. His Massachusetts criminal defense lawyer says that Shea only acted as the boy’s friend and older brother and that this is the first allegation against him after working around children for years.

Everett schools superintendent Frederick F. Foresteire says that this is not the first time that Shea has been investigated. He was investigated by the Everett Police Department in 2005 and the Department of Social Services in 2003. Both cases were closed without findings. Shea has been suspended from his job until the Everett sex crimes case is resolved.

Child rape is considered a very serious offense. In Massachusetts, a conviction for forcible rape of a child can lead to a lifetime prison sentence. If you have been arrested for sexual assault of a child or an adult, you should contact our Boston sex crimes law firm right away.

The issue of child rape has been in the news headlines lately. This week, the U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments on whether a child rape conviction should lead to the death penalty. The case was brought to the Supreme Court by Patrick Kennedy, a Louisiana man that was sentenced to death after being convicted of raping the 8-year-old daughter of his girlfriend. He is appealing his sentence.

US high court mulls death for child rape, AP, April 17, 2008

Everett schools employee accused of sexually assaulting boy, Boston Globe, April 8, 2008

Related Web Resources:

Sexual Assault and Rape, Norfolk District Attorney's Office

Rape a child, pay with your life, Louisiana argues, CNN.com, April 15, 2008

Continue reading "Everett Middle School Employee Charged with Child Rape and Indecent Assault and Battery in Massachusetts Pleads Not Guilty " »

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Posted In: Felonies and Violent Crimes , Sexual Assault

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Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick and a former aide have been charged with lying under oath about the nature of their relationship. Last week, Kilpatrick and Kristine Beatty, his former chief of staff, pled not guilty to multiple counts of perjury, conspiracy, obstruction of justice and misconduct in office during their arraignment.

The charges were filed following a nearly two month probe after excerpts of some 14,000 text messages between the two of them were published by the Detroit Free Press. The text messages had either been sent or received by Beatty’s city-issued pager between 2002 and 2003 and included sexually explicit dialogue, plans to meet, and exchanges about ways they could conceal their extramarital affair.

Last year, while under oath, Kilpatrick and Beatty denied having an affair. They had given this testimony during a lawsuit filed by two police officers who had sued the city of Detroit.

The two cops said they were fired from their jobs because they had been investigating claims that Kilpatrick had used his security team to cover up the fact that he had extramarital affairs. Both Kilpatrick and Beatty are married with children.

The city of Detroit settled the charges filed by the two men and a third police officer for $8.4 million. Kilpatrick and Beatty are accused of signing an agreement to keep the text messages confidential and the mayor is accused of agreeing to the settlement to cover up his affair with Beatty.

All of the criminal charges filed against Mayor Kilpatrick are considered felonies in Michigan. He will be fired immediately if he is convicted of a felony. The conviction for perjury alone could result in 15 years in prison.

Michigan Attorney Mike Cok and the Detroit City Council have called on Kilpatrick to step down. He is refusing to do so.

Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy says other people may be charged as the investigation progresses.

In Massachusetts, perjury is considered a serious crime. Under the General Laws of Massachusetts, Chapter 268, Section 1:

Whoever, being lawfully required to depose the truth in a judicial proceeding or in a proceeding in a course of justice, wilfully swears or affirms falsely in a matter material to the issue or point in question, or whoever, being required by law to take an oath or affirmation, wilfully swears or affirms falsely in a matter relative to which such oath or affirmation is required, shall be guilty of perjury. Whoever commits perjury on the trial of an indictment for a capital crime shall be punished by imprisonment in the state prison for life or for any term of years, and whoever commits perjury in any other case shall be punished by imprisonment in the state prison for not more than twenty years or by a fine of not more than one thousand dollars or by imprisonment in jail for not more than two and one half years, or by both such fine and imprisonment in jail.

If you have been charged with perjury or any other crime, contact our Boston, Massachusetts criminal defense law firm. We are known for the aggressive, thorough, and creative defenses that we offer our clients.

Defining perjury in Kilpatrick case: Judge the facts for yours, Freep.com, March 30, 2008

Detroit mayor, ex-aide plead not guilty, USA Today, March 26, 2008

Related Web Resources:

Charges Against Kwame M. Kilpatrick and Christine Beatty (PDF)

Detroit Mayor's Office

Continue reading "Detroit Mayor Pleads Not Guilty to Lying Under Oath and Other Felony Charges" »

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Five days after her release from prison, former Symbionese Liberation Army member Sarah Jane Olson was rearrested and sent back to prison on Saturday to serve one more year of her sentence. Prison department staff had concluded that a mistake had been made in figuring out when the ex-SLA member was eligible for parole.

Her criminal defense lawyer plans to fight this decision and cites pressure from the Los Angeles police officers' union, rather than a calculation error, as the reason Olson is back behind bars.

California’s Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation and the police union reject this accusation.

Olson’s real name is Kathleen Soliah. She was paroled on Monday after serving six years of the sentence that she received for pleading guilty to the second-degree murder of Myrna Opsahl while robbing a bank in Carmichael, California in the 1970’s. She also had entered a guilty plea for trying to bomb LAPD cars. She had planted pipe bombs under the car but the devices didn’t go off.

Olson lived as a fugitive for 24 years. She changed her name, got married, and had three children before she was arrested.

A California judge had initially sentenced Olson to five years and four months in prison because of 1975 sentencing laws. The state parole board, however, determined that she was a serious offender and changed her prison sentence to 13 years.

Olson was supposed to serve her parole in Minnesota with her family but was not permitted to board her flight from Los Angeles International Airport. After the error was identified, she was sent back to Chowchilla women’s prison.

According to prison officials, they forgot to add more time for the bank robbery and Carmichael’s murder, which now makes her eligible for parole after seven years instead of six.

In Boston, Massachusetts, our criminal defense law firm is here to protect your legal rights.

SLA's Olson will fight return to state prison, SFGate.com, March 24, 2008

Ex-SLA member rearrested after release, MercuryNews.com, March 23, 2008

Related Web Resources:

The Symbionese Liberation Army, CourtTV.com

Sara Jane Olson on Life in Prison, Talkleft.com

Continue reading "Former SLA Member Sarah Jane Olson To Fight Decision Sending Her Back to Prison" »

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In Massachusetts, David J. Privette, the man accused of using cigarettes to burn the genitals of a 7-year-old boy, has now been charged by Middleborough police with two counts of indecent assault and battery and mayhem. The child, who is the son of Privette's girlfriend, may be permanently injured from the repeated burns.
Privette, 22, also allegedly beat the boy with a belt and urinated on his head.

Privette has denied the allegations. The charges that had initially been filed against him were two counts of assault and battery with a deadly weapon and assault and battery on a child.

DSS officials had been aware of neglect occurring to the boy as early as 2002 and had been to the boy’s home four times since the boy’s school filed a physical abuse report on December 19.

They did not inform police until this week—after a nurse at the boy’s school found burn marks on his pelvis, genitals, and buttocks.

Privette began dating the boy's mother, Michelle Henry, several months ago.

A nurse at the boy’s school had called the DSS in December and case workers spoke to the boy’s family. The school called the DSS on March after the boy told a teacher that he didn’t want to go home because Privette had burned his private parts with a cigarette.

The DSS finally contacted the Plymouth district attorney’s office after the nurse at the boy’s school filed a third report that the boy was being abused.

Privette says he was not at the boy’s home when the abuse took place.

If you have been arrested for any crime in Massachusetts, you should contact our Boston, Massachusetts criminal defense law firm for a free case evaluation. A good Massachusetts criminal defense lawyer can defend you against the charges and protect your legal rights.

Police file new charges in Middleborough child abuse case, Boston.com, March 20, 2008

New charges against man accused of burning boy with cigarettes, BostonHerald.com, March 20, 2008

Related Web Resource:

Massachusetts General Laws

Continue reading "Middleborough, Massachusetts Police File Indecent Assault, Battery, and Mayhem Charges Against Man in Child Abuse Burn Injury Case" »

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Posted In: Assault and Battery , Felonies and Violent Crimes

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In Boston, Massachusetts, the civil rights trial of Shawn Drumgold, the man wrongfully convicted of killing a 12-year-old girl, is under way. Drumgold, now 42, served 15 years in prison for the 1988 murder of Darlene Tiffany Moore who got caught in the middle of a gang fight in a Roxbury neighborhood.

Drumgold was released from prison in 2003 after prosecutors took another look at the case and realized that he did not get a fair trial. Witnesses had told the Boston Globe that they were bullied into testifying against Drumgold. One witness in his murder trial had even been suffering from a rare form of brain cancer that can impair his memory and perception. This fact was never revealed to the defense.

Drumgold filed a lawsuit against the city of Boston, Massachusetts in 2004. He also named two police detectives Detective Walsh and Detective Callahan, both now retired, that had investigated his murder case.

On Wednesday, Ricky Evans testified that he lied when he was a witness during Drumgold’s murder trial. He says Detective Callahan showed him several photos of suspects and refused to accept his response when he picked another man’s photo.

Evans said he didn’t have a permanent residence during the time of the shooting. Boston police paid for his food and lodging at a local Howard Johnson for eight months. He says that Detective Callahan told him several outstanding warrants against him would be ‘wiped out.”

Evans admits that he never saw Drumgold during the night of the shooting and that the testimony he provided was based on information that Callahan and another detective had given him. He says recanted his testimony because he felt guilty about lying.

Drumgold claims that Callahan and Walsh withheld key evidence that could have cleared his name and also manipulated key witnesses.

If you have been charged or convicted in Massachusetts for a crime you did not commit, you should contact our Boston, Massachusetts criminal defense law firm right away.

Witness in Drumgold case says he made up testimony, Boston.com, March 5, 2008

Jury hears opening statements in Drumgold case, Boston Herald, March 5, 2008

Related Web Resources:

Drumgold sues over wrongful conviction, Boston.com, June 4, 2004

Drumgold Says He Has No Anger, TruthInJustice.org, November 10, 2003

Continue reading "Civil Rights Trial of Man Wrongfully Convicted of Murder Gets Under Way in Boston, Massachusetts" »

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The Boston criminal defense team of a Massachusetts high school student accused of stabbing a classmate to death in a bathroom at Lincoln-Sudbury Regional High in Sudbury wants the charges against the boy dropped because he has Asperger syndrome (AS).

The defense says that a grand jury were improperly ordered to ignore the fact that John Odgren, 17, has Asperger syndrome, which makes him a special needs case. Odgren’s defense team is arguing that the disorder is responsible for his sometimes violent and bizarre actions. Odgren has been charged with first-degree murder.

Odgren is accused of killing James Alenson, 15, in January 2007. He allegedly approached the boy, slashed his throat with a 13-inch carving knife before stabbing his lung, stomach, liver, and heart.

Odgren’s defense team believes that he would have been charged with second-degree murder or a lesser crime if the grand jury had been given more information about the teenager's condition.

Last March, Odgren was found competent to stand trial. He is in jail in the Cambridge courthouse.

Asperger Syndrome
Considered an autism spectrum disorder, Asperger Syndrome can involve odd speech patterns, obsessiveness, poor social interactions, and peculiar mannerisms. Symptoms can include motor delays, limited interest, and peculiar preoccupations.

Odgren’s criminal defense team says that the boy’s disorder affects his premeditation and intent and that obsessing with weapons and other morbid items is associated with AS.

Our Boston, Massachusetts criminal defense law firm represent minors that have been accused of or charged with committing crimes. It is important that your son or daughter obtain proper legal representation to make sure that their legal rights are protected. Our juvenile crimes lawyers represent minors in juvenile court , as well as juveniles charged with adult crimes. We will do our best to keep the criminal case in juvenile court.

Suspect in fatal L-S school stabbing seeks lesser charges, Boston Herald, March 6, 2008

Related Web Resources:

State report describes teen's early aggression, Boston.com, January 23, 2007

Asperger Syndrome, KidsHealth.org

Asperger Syndrome Fact Sheet, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke

Continue reading "Massachusetts High School Stabbing Suspect With Asperger Syndrome Is Asking That Murder Charge Be Reduced" »

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Posted In: Felonies and Violent Crimes , Juvenile Crimes , Murder

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Woburn, Massachusetts resident Nicholas Chiaraluce has been cleared of the aggravated rape charge in an incident involving an unconscious woman in the bathroom of the Felt nightclub. In Boston Municipal Court today, the charges against him were formally withdrawn.

Boston police arrested Chiaraluce after the January 19 incident. Following the arrest, he pled not guilty to the rape charge and was released on bail. He says he was trying to help the woman and had even asked a friend to come to the club to assist them.

Suffolk District Attorney Daniel F. Conley's office says that the Commonwealth has determined that it does not have evidence to prove that Chiaraluce committed the offense beyond a reasonable doubt.

Chiaraluce applauded his exoneration. He says that he and the woman had consensual sex. He also criticized police for arresting him without speaking to the woman.

Boston police maintain, however, that credible witnesses had said that the Woburn man was seen performing a sex act on a woman who was unconscious—which indicated that she might have not able to give her consent.

Tests showed the woman had alcohol in her system. Her friends have also said that Chiaraluce did not sexually assault her.

Chiaraluce reportedly lost a job opportunity because of the arrest.

Being charged with a sex crime you did not commit can be very damaging to your personal life and your career. If you have been arrested or are under investigation for sexual assault, you should contact our Boston, Massachusetts sexual crimes law firm to discuss your case. Just because you are innocent doesn’t mean you will be exonerated. This is why it is so important to have an experienced criminal defense team on your side.

Unfortunately, a person can be wrongfully accused of committing a sexual crime. Jealousy, the need to receive attention, police or prosecutor error, and mistaken identity are some of the many reasons that false accusations and wrongful charges can arise.

Woburn man cleared of rape criticizes Boston police, Boston Globe, March 5, 2008

Related Web Resources:

Man is charged with raping unconscious woman at club, Boston Globe, January 24, 2008

Read Our Law Firm's Blog About the Arrest and Charges, BostonInjuryLawyerblog.com

Continue reading "Suffolk Prosecutors Drop Aggravated Rape Charge Against Woburn, Massachusetts Man " »

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Nguyen Van Nguyen, a Randolph, Massachusetts man, and his brother-in law Chien Dinh Nguyen will serve time in federal prison for their conspiracy to transport guns conviction.

The two men illegally bought guns from a Georgia pawn shop in Georgia and then transported them to Boston. One firearm was discovered at the scene of a 2006 Dorchester gang shootout. Nguyen and Nguyen paid a third man $100 for each gun.

The two brothers bought 23 firearms. These guns can sell for $900 or more in Massachusetts.

A Bureau of Alcohol agent from the Boston field office said the two men made money by supplying weapons to gang members. Boston investigators, who have been trying to combat gun violence in Massachusetts, testified at the brothers’ trial in Atlanta.

The man who purchased the guns for the two brothers consented to becoming a “cooperating suspect.” He recorded phone calls with the two men. He also wore a body wire during one trip to the pawn shop with Van Nguyen. The cooperating suspect pled guilty to conspiracy to traffic firearms. He is serving five years probation.

A Georgia judge sentenced Nguyen Van Nguyen to 16 years in federal prison. This is not Nguyen Van Nguyen’s first brush with the law. He has been convicted for felonies three times in the past for assault with intent to rob, heroin possession, and assault with a dangerous weapon.

Because of his criminal record, Van Nguyen was facing a mandatory 15-year prison term. Under Federal law, his criminal record categorizes him as an armed career criminal.

Chien Dinh Nguyen’s prison sentence is for 2 ½ years.

According to the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence, Massachusetts has some of the toughest gun laws in the United States.

If you have been arrested or charged with a gun-related crime, one of our experienced Massachusetts weapons possession lawyer can represent your case and protect your legal rights.

Two men sentenced for trade in guns, Boston.com, February 22, 2008

Related Web Resources:

Brady Campaign praises Massachusetts gun laws, Metrowestdailynews.com, February 1, 2008

2004 Federal Sentencing Guidelines, USSC.gov

Massachusetts Law About Weapons

Continue reading "Massachusetts Man is Sentenced to Federal Prison for Conspiracy to Transport Guns" »

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Posted In: Felonies and Violent Crimes , Illegal Weapons Possession

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Mark Jensen, the Wisconsin man charged with poisoning his wife in 1998 has been found guilty of first-degree murder. Sentencing will take place on Friday although his conviction comes with a mandatory life in prison sentence. The conviction by the jury came after members deliberated for over 30 hours.

Jensen’s wife, Julie, was founded dead in her bed in 1998. Poisoning by ethylene glycol was the cause of death. Police say she had been given multiple doses. Just 30 ml of ethylene glycol can be deadly. Evidence during the criminal also indicated that a pillow might have been used by Jensen to smother her.

Prior to her death, Julie wrote a letter placing blame on her husband in the event that anything happened to her. She gave the letter to a neighbor. She also had told her son’s teacher and police that she thought Jensen was attempting to murder her.

Jensen was charged with 1st-degree murder in 2002. According to prosecutors, he was having an affair and wanted to get rid of his wife. Jensen’s defense team said that Julie was depressed, tried to kill herself, and then blamed her husband.

Strict hearsay rules that allow defendants to confront their accusers had blocked Julie’s statements and her letter as evidence. The issue of whether or not Julie’s words could admitted as part of the case delayed Jensen’s criminal trial for several years.

A U.S. Supreme Court ruling compelled the Wisconsin Supreme Court to create an exception in this case so that Julie’s statements and letters could be admitted as a dying declaration of her state of mind when she died.

A couple of inmates testified that Jensen had admitted to killing his wife. One inmate testified that Jensen had asked him to kidnap a witness who was scheduled to testify.

A 2003 Massachusetts Domestic Violence Report by Jane Doe Inc. Lists several methods used for committing domestic violence homicide:

• Stabbing deaths
• Fatal firearm injuries
• Strangulation
• Blunt trauma to head
• Smothering the victim

As a criminal suspect or defendant for murder or any crime in Massachusetts, you are entitled to the best legal representation. Our Boston, Massachusetts criminal defense team would like to offer you a free consultation.

Husband guilty of murder in 'letter from grave' case, CNN.com, February 21, 2008

Jury: Man Used Antifreeze to Kill Wife, AP, February 21, 2008

2003 Massachusetts Domestic Violence Homicide Report

Related Web Resources:

Read Judy Jensen's Letter from the Grave, CNN.com

Ethylene Glycol, University of Cambridge

Continue reading " Mark Jensen Is Found Guilty of Murder After Being Implicated By Dead Wife’s Letter" »

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Posted In: Domestic Violence , Felonies and Violent Crimes , Murder

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In Massachusetts, Superior Court Judge Charles M. Grabau has sentenced former Marshfield High School student Joseph Nee to 2.5 years for conspiracy to commit murder. Nee, 21, is convicted of plotting a Columbine-like attack on the school.

Nee had faced a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for the crime. He will serve six months in prison and nine months in the Plymouth House of Correction. He will also serve a two-year probation upon release and undergo periodic alcohol and drug tests. He also will have his mental health evaluated.

The Marshfield man was convicted last week after a four-day bench trial and testimony from dozens of people. He was acquitted of two charges: threatening use of a deadly weapon and promotion of anarchy.

In September 2004, Nee, was still studying at Marshfield High. He and two classmates notified police that 16-year-old Tobin Kerns intended to attack the school the following April—in a killing spree similar to the 1999 Columbine High School attack in Littleton, Colorado.

Police arrested Kerns. They also arrested Nee a few weeks later after he was implicated by Kerns’ friends.

Kerns and Nee were indicted by a grand jury in October 2004. Both teenagers pleaded not guilty. The two other boys who reported the planned assault with Nee were given immunity in exchange for their testimonies.

Kerns was convicted of conspiracy to commit murder and threatening to use deadly weapons. He is completing his 10- month prison sentence at the Plymouth House of Correction.

Our Massachusetts criminal defense law firm handles adult criminal cases and juvenile crimes cases. We are known for our ability to provide our clients with a solid, effective defense.

Ex-student gets prison in Marshfield plot case, Boston.com, February 20, 2008

Judge convicts ex-student in school plot, Boston Globe, February 15, 2008

Related Web Resources:

Are US Schools Safe?, CNN.com

Fast Facts: Major School Shootings of Past 10 Years, Fox.com, April 16, 2008

Continue reading "Former Marshfield High School Student Will Serve Time in Massachusetts Prison For Plotting Columbine-Style Ambush" »

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In Massachusetts, state officials filed legislation that would allow prosecutors to demand that a jury rule on whether a sex offender is considered dangerous. Massachusetts law currently mandates that a sexually dangerous individual be civilly committed anywhere from 1 day up to the rest of his or her life at the Massachusetts Treatment Center in Bridgewater.

Last week, Corey Saunders, 26, was arrested for allegedly raping a 6-year-old boy at the New Bedford Library after luring the boy into the magazine racks. The boy’s mother was nearby, using a computer.

Saunders had already served four years in prison for the attempted rape of a 7-year-old boy in a foster home where Saunders had been placed. He was released in December 2006 even though three psychologists and prosecutors had said he was too dangerous to set free. Police believe that he has lived in New Bedford since August 2007 and waited until this year to register as a sex offender.

Following his arrest for the New Bedford rape incident, Saunder’s criminal defense lawyer waived his right to a dangerousness hearing. The 26-year-old has also been charged with failing to register as a sex offender within the 45 days that the law stipulates. Saunders has pled not guilty to the rape charges.

According to Middlesex District Attorney Gerard T. Leone Jr., of the 47 trials since 1999 in Middlesex County to decide whether a convicted sex offender is sexually dangerous, 25 of the cases were determined by judges, with 60% of the offenders classified as sexually dangerous. Of the 22 cases that have gone before a jury, 68% of the offenders were ruled sexually dangerous.

If you have been charged with a sex crime in Boston, New Bedford, or anywhere in Massachusetts, you should speak with one of our Massachusetts sex crimes attorneys right away. You have a right to the best defense possible.

Push underway to boost role of juries in dangerous sex offender trial, Boston.com, February 7, 2008

Accused rapist waives right to dangerousness hearing, BostonHerald.com, February 7, 2008

Related Web Resources:

Sex Offenders, Mass.gov

Mass General Laws Section 178 - Sex Offender Registry Board, Mass.gov

Continue reading "Massachusetts Officials Want to Give Jury a Bigger Role in Dangerous Sex Offender Trials" »

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Carl Stanley McGee, the assistant secretary for policy and planning for Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick’s administration has been charged with the sexual assault of a male teenager in Florida.

McGee, 38, was arrested last December in Boca Grande at the Gasparilla Inn & Club resort. The sexual assault incident allegedly took place in a steam room.

McGee, top aide to Patrick, has been on administrative leave since last January. His arraignment on sexual battery charges is scheduled next week.

According to the police report by the Lee County Sheriff's Office, McGee met the boy, 12-16 years of age, in a bathroom at the resort. The boy claims that the following day, McGee saw the boy in the resort’s steam room, took off his towel, began rubbing the boy’s shoulders and back, and performed oral sex on the boy.

The boy told his father, who notified local police. They arrested McGee based on the boy’s physical description of the man who allegedly sexually assaulted him.

On December 30, McGee was freed on $300,000 bond.

McGee is married to John Finley IV.

In Massachusetts, the punishment for conviction of forcible rape of a child younger than 16 can be life in state prison. Conviction for indecent assault and battery on a child older than 14 is punishable by up to five years in prison.

Sex crimes in Massachusetts are very serious offenses. The best way to defend yourself against any sexual crimes charges is to hire an experienced criminal defense law firm to fight for your rights.

Gov.'s Aide Charged With Battering Boy, 15, The BostonChannel.com, February 7, 2008

Patrick aide charged with sexually assaulting boy in Florida, Boston.com, February 7, 2008

Related Web Resources:

Sexual Assault & Rape, Norfolk District Attorney's Office

The Official Web Site of the Governor of Massachusetts

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Middlesex Superior Court Judge Wendie Gershengorn rejected the guilty plea to involuntary manslaughter charges made by Luiz Carlos Ribeiro in the 2006 death of a female patient. Ribeiro, who was a licensed doctor in Brazil but does not have a license to practice in the United States, performed liposuction on Fabiola DePaula, a 24-year-old Brazilian immigrant, in his basement in Framingham, Massachusetts.

Ribeiro had been hoping to strike a plea agreement by pleading guilty to involuntary manslaughter, but Judge Gershengorn turned him down. She says that she isn’t sure that his actions were reckless enough to warrant the plea.

Ribeiro says that he had all the equipment that he needed to perform the illegal operation on DePaula and that she would have died regardless of where the operation was performed.

Prosecutors disagree. They allege that Ribeiro did not have the proper equipment and safeguards to perform a liposuction operation in his basement. They say that DePaula’s death could have been avoided if the surgery had been performed at a hospital.

DePaula was administered illegal narcotics for the procedure. Following the procedure, she died at MetroWest Medical Center. Cause of death was listed as intraoperative complications from a liposuction procedure. She had paid Ribeiro $3,300 for liposuction and a nose job.

Ribeiro’s wife, Ana Maria Miranda Ribeiro, has already pled guilty to manslaughter charges and acting as his nurse. She was sentenced to a year in prison.

If you have been charged with a crime in Massachusetts, you should contact our criminal defense law firm immediately. Our criminal trial lawyers have developed a reputation for obtaining successful outcomes for our clients.

Judge rejects doctor’s plea in liposuction-related death, Boston Herald, January 30, 2008

Judge rejects guilty plea in fatal liposuction case, Boston.com, January 30, 2008

Related Web Resource:

A death after liposuction exposes busy illegal clinic, Boston.com, August 1, 2006

Liposuction

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