Crime

Haverhill Man, Working as Seabrook Officer, Returns to Court in May to Face Child Porn Allegations

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Haverhill resident John Giarrusso III is due back in court next month on allegations of possession of child pornography and distribution of graphic sexual images to a minor. Forty-eight-year-old Giarrusso, who had been working as a Seabrook, N.H., police officer, was arrested last month after the Haverhill Police Department received a tip Feb.11 from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children alleging misuse of the messaging and chat app Kik by Giarrusso. He was subsequently placed on administrative leave from his patrolman’s position. He returns Tuesday, May 20, to Haverhill District Court. He is being represented by Haverhill criminal defense lawyer Daniel Hutchinson, according to the court clerk’s office.

Crime

Judge Sends Former Lawrence Mayoral Chief of Staff to Prison for Child Porn

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The former chief of staff to Lawrence Mayor Brian A. DePeña was sentenced Monday in federal court in Boston for transporting and possessing child sexual abuse material. Fifty-year-old Jhovanny Martes-Rosario was sentenced by U.S. District Court Chief Judge F. Dennis Saylor IV to a little more than three and a half years in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release. As WHAV reported in 2023, State Police’s Cyber Crime Unit arrested Martes-Rosario after troopers used a court-authorized warrant to search electronic devices in his home. The unit began its investigation in December 2022 after receiving information from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children about alleged images of child pornography uploaded from an internet address associated with Martes-Rosario’s house. Prosecutors say Martes-Rosario was identified as the likely user of Yahoo and Apple accounts, containing child pornography.

Crime

Lowell Man Faces Driving-Related Charges After State Police Chase Ending in Methuen

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A Massachusetts State Police car chase that ended Thursday night in Methuen resulted in driving-related charges against a 47-year-old Lowell man. Bradford Maker pleaded not guilty Friday in Lawrence District Court to charges of reckless driving, failure to stop for police, speeding, driving an uninsured and unregistered motor vehicle, a license plate violation to conceal identification and one civil charge for a marked lanes violation, according to Essex County District Attorney Paul F. Tucker’s office. Tucker’s office said the pursuit began when Maker attempted to evade Massachusetts State Police on Interstate 93 in Andover. Representing the state was Assistant District Attorney Paige Timko, while Maker was represented by attorney James Edward Klotz before Judge Raquel D. Ruano. Maker is scheduled to return to court Monday, April 28 for a pretrial hearing.

Crime

Methuen Man Pleads Guilty to Drug Charges from 2023 Case, Illegal Return to U.S.

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A 44-year-old Methuen pleaded guilty Wednesday in federal court in Boston to illegally re-entering the United States after deportation and possessing narcotics intended for distribution. Raul Fernando Lora, a citizen of the Dominican Republic, pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute cocaine and 40 grams or more of fentanyl and unlawful reentry of deported alien. U.S. District Court Judge Myong J. Joun scheduled sentencing for July 16. Lora was arrested on Oct. 3, 2023, when he was found in possession of a sock that contained more than 200 grams of fentanyl and more than 30 grams of cocaine in multiple plastic bags.

Crime

Judge Gives Derry, N.H. Man Six-Year Prison Sentence for Supplying Merrimack Valley Dealers

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A 29-year-old Derry, N.H., man accused of supplying area drug dealers with large quantities of fentanyl, cocaine and methamphetamine was sentenced Wednesday to six years in prison. Cote Colby was sentenced in Boston by U.S. District Court Judge Angel Kelley to six years in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release. Nearly two years ago, Colby was indicted along with three others in the drug trafficking conspiracy. Prosecutors, in what is now U.S. Attorney Leah B. Foley’s office, say an investigation began in September 2022 into a drug dealing operation selling fentanyl, fentanyl pills, cocaine base and methamphetamine, including counterfeit pills containing fentanyl in the Merrimack Valley. Colby was then identified as “a significant drug distributor for the organization, making thousands of dollars per transaction.”

Over the course of the investigation, prosecutors add, Colby distributed narcotics to several cooperating witnesses in numerous controlled purchases.

Crime

Haverhill Man, Working as Seabrook, NH Police Officer, Faces Child Porn Allegations

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A Haverhill resident who works as a Seabrook, N.H., police officer faces multiple charges of possession of child pornography and distribution of graphic sexual images to a minor. John Giarrusso III, 48, is due back in court Wednesday, April 2, after his arraignment Monday in Haverhill District Court. Officer Giarrusso, who was lauded in a Facebook post by his department five years ago as a top fundraiser for a child abuse protection agency, was arrested following an investigation by the Haverhill Police Department. The investigation was prompted after the department received a “cyber tip” on Feb. 11 from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children alleging misuse of the messaging and chat app Kik by Giarrusso.

Crime

Feds, State Charge Alleged Gang Members Connected with Murders, Crime in Lynn, Lawrence, Haverhill

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More than two dozen members of a violent gang operating in Lawrence, Lynn, Boston and Haverhill face criminal charges in connection with murder, attempted murder and shootings. Federal and state officials said Wednesday, two members—ages 15 and 25—were charged with murder by Essex County District Attorney Paul F. Tucker’s office. The rest will be charged in federal court. Acting U.S. Attorney Leah B. Foley said the federal and county prosecutions “ends the Trinitarios reign of terror in Massachusetts.” While WHAV has refrained from naming gangs so as to not afford them additional notoriety and also does not typically name minors, state and federal officials openly identified both. “This investigation and the results represent the best of law enforcement partnerships.

Crime

Methuen Resident Pleads Guilty to Illegally Returning to U.S. From El Salvador

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An El Salvadoran national living in Methuen pleaded guilty last Thursday in federal court in Boston to illegally reentering the country. Fifty-seven-year-old Agustin Landaverde-Romero pleaded guilty to unlawful reentry of a deported alien. Landaverde-Romero was first indicted by a federal grand jury a year ago. Prosecutors say sometime around July 13, 2020, Landaverde-Romero was found in the United States without having received permission. Landaverde-Romero was previously deported to El Salvador on Oct.