Mass law enforcement misconduct news, July 13-19

Hey folks,

This one’s a little late as I just got back from vacation. During the last week, I spent time with my extended family, did a lot of swimming, built a Gundam for the first time, and bought a bunch of comics at the Waltham Comic Book & Collectibles Show, among other things. Now I’m back and working on a bunch of interesting stories that I hope to report soon, so stay tuned.

Police misconduct news

Here are the media reports of alleged law enforcement misconduct in Massachusetts that I’ve tracked during the last week.

• “A former Auburn police officer pleaded guilty to agreeing to pay for sex with a girl he believed to be 15 who was actually an undercover officer working in a sting operation. Dominick Boschetto, 32, was sentenced to three years of probation in Berkshire County Superior Court June 17. The probation supervision was later transferred to Worcester County Superior Court.” (Telegram & Gazette)
• “The [Massachusetts] State Police trooper seen on video pummeling a fellow officer in a bar in Quincy [in June] is suspended with pay, awaiting possible charges, the Herald has learned. … [T]he State Police have yet to publicly identify the two officers seen fighting on the video.” (Boston Herald)
• “Defense attorneys for one of two people charged in the killing of Tony Abreu argued [on July 15] that [Hampden County] prosecutors have failed to provide key evidence ahead of a planned grand jury presentation later [in July]. A judge agreed and told prosecutors to provide the information by July 30.” (Republican)
• “State Police, acting on behalf of a Brockton cop [Franck Coulanges], sought a criminal harassment charge against Brockton mayoral runner-up Jean Bradley Derenoncourt. On June 1, a judicial officer ruled that there wasn't enough evidence to support the allegation. … ‘The court saw the allegations for what they were: a politically motivated effort to retaliate against and discredit a political opponent,’ the former at-large city councilor said.” (Enterprise; paywalled)
• “A federal judge expressed skepticism [on July 14] about some of the claims Karen Read brought in a sweeping civil rights lawsuit she filed last fall. The suit names five witnesses who testified against her at trial and three State Police investigators who worked on her case. Chief U.S. District Judge Denise Casper convened the hearing to address motions to dismiss the suit filed by the witnesses and the retired State Police lieutenant [Brian Tully] who oversaw the criminal investigation.” (MassLive)
• “The Supreme Judicial Court ruled [on July 16] that Suffolk County prosecutors can’t use a gun and drugs found in a woman’s glovebox in Nubian Square because [Boston] police opened the compartment with a key she handed over only after a series of illegal pat frisks that at one point left her underwear and bare stomach bare to any passersby who could see in between the 11 total cops who surrounded her. The state’s highest court relied heavily on recordings from body cameras worn by officers on the evening of Aug. 29, 2022 to conclude they simply went too far under the federal and state constitutions and state law.” (Universal Hub)
• “The Stow Police Department in Middlesex County filed a criminal complaint on [July 17] against one of its own police officers. Det. Jason Rogers was initially placed on leave on June 18, after a Worcester County resident contacted the department and said the officer improperly used department and state systems to access personal information, Stow police said.” (MassLive)
• “A Boston police officer has been placed on restricted duty following recent charges stemming from an alleged attack on a family member. Mark J. Loewen, 50, of Roslindale, faces a felony vandalism charge along with two counts of misdemeanor assault and battery, court records show.” (Boston.com)
  

Other news

Easthampton City Council calls on AG and Northwestern DA to hold ICE accountable (NEPM)

The Easthampton City Council passed a resolution on [July 15] calling for Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Campbell and the Northwestern district attorney to investigate and charge federal ICE agents when they break state law.

The Council’s resolution comes just days after ICE agents shot and killed a Colombian driver in Maine on [July 13] and a week after an agent shot and killed a motorist in Houston.

Citizens Bank says it will end relationship with private prison companies linked to ICE (GBH)

Citizens Bank, one of the largest financial institutions in New England, announced it will be ending its financial relationship with prison companies connected with the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

This decision comes after months of public outcry and hundreds of millions being divested from Citizens’ due to its relationship with Core Civic and The GEO Group — two companies that invest and operate in prisons used to detain ICE arrestees.

Cambridge judge considers ordering man charged with murder to turn over his iPhone password (Boston Globe; paywalled)

A judge is considering whether to order a Canton man who allegedly participated in a conspiracy to kill a Cambridge city employee to give prosecutors the access code to his cellphone. …

During the hearing, Assistant District Attorney Whitney Williams told Judge David Frank that investigators are searching for other people allegedly involved in the killing. She said [Rayquon] Brown’s cellphone data could help identify them. …

Brown does not have the facial activation feature on his cellphone turned on and Williams said investigators cannot access the data without his password.

Mass Department of Correction opens Framingham “Reintegration House” to help incarcerated women with transition from prison (WCVB)

The Massachusetts Department of Corrections is taking a different approach to prepare female prisoners for life on the outside with a new facility in Framingham that features a white picket fence.

[July 14] was the grand opening of the Reintegration House on the grounds of the former South Middlesex Correctional Center.

Mass governor signs law creating special license plates for families of cops who died on the job (USA Today Network; paywalled)

Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey on July 15 signed into law a bill creating a new, free specialty license plate to honor fallen law enforcement officers. …

The bill, known as An Act honoring Blue Star Families, directs the Registry of Motor Vehicles to create a new “distinctive” license plate for cars that reads “Blue Star Family” and a Blue Star Family emblem for motorcycle plates, as well as offer vanity plate registrations. 

As I’ve previously written, I think this is a bad idea as a matter of policy. I don’t think Massachusetts should hand out free “I’m related to a deceased cop so please give me special treatment” license plates. And let’s be real—that’s what these are.

But this law is baffling for another reason. The phrase “Blue Star family” already has a meaning. It refers to a family with someone who is actively serving in the US military—there’s even a nonprofit called Blue Star Families that’s “committed to strengthening military families,” according to its website. It seems like the authors of this bill took the phrase “Gold Star family”—a family with a member who died while serving in the military—and decided to swap in blue to represent cops without realizing that’s also a military thing.

He reportedly called his ex-wife to ask her to "lie for him" and to "cover for his character."

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— Bangor Daily News (@bangordailynews.bsky.social) July 16, 2026 at 2:25 PM

An agent from HSI—the criminal investigation arm of ICE—shot and killed a young man in May while responding to a local 911 call as part of Trump’s ‘Memphis Safe Task Force.’ The call had nothing to do with immigration. Jonah Neal. Say his name.

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— Marisa Kabas (@marisakabas.bsky.social) July 14, 2026 at 10:29 PM

Atlantic writer: I will always cherish the day Lindsey Graham told me I looked like shit mere hours after a mass shooting defector.com/atlantic-wri...

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— Defector (@defector.com) July 14, 2026 at 3:55 PM

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