Sign up for the Today newsletter
Get everything you need to know to start your day, delivered right to your inbox every morning.
Cambridge city councilor, 13 other men plead not guilty to buying sex through brothel ring
All 14 men who appeared in court Friday pleaded not guilty to charges of sexual conduct for a fee, court records showed.
Cambridge City Councilor Paul Toner and 13 other men charged with paying for sex at a Greater Boston brothel ring pleaded not guilty in court Friday and were released on personal recognizance.
Toner was arraigned in Cambridge District Court May 16 and pleaded not guilty to one charge of sexual conduct for a fee, according to court records. The city councilor, who was named publicly in the case back in March, stated that he would remain on the council despite a wave of calls for his resignation.
Toner filed a motion to compel discovery after the Commonwealth failed to provide specific documents at his arraignment, court records showed. The information Toner requested includes a full list of the “entire 2,800 customers alleged to have engaged with this syndicate for purposes of purchasing commercial sex” and the identity of any other elected official identified in the case.
Advertisement:
Toner also requested all public records, video surveillance, witness interviews, and federal search warrants, among other evidence. The commonwealth has 30 days to provide the requested information to Toner’s attorney, according to the motion.
Toner is due back in court July 29, according to court records.
Timothy R. Flaherty, Toner’s attorney, did not immediately respond to a request for comment Tuesday evening.
Toner insists that he won’t resign, despite pressure from community
Toner was first elected to Cambridge City Council in November 2021 and won another term in 2023. He allegedly exchanged 432 texts with brothel operators and arranged to buy sex at least 13 times in 2023, according to a criminal complaint.
Advertisement:
The city councilor first publicly addressed the charge at a March 24 council meeting, where he said he would not “contest the statements that are being circulated in the community” and thanked those who had supported him. He later told The Boston Globe that he did not plan to resign.
“I’m ashamed to have my name associated with this case,” Toner said at the meeting. “All Americans, including elected officials, are entitled to the right to due process, but some have already judged and convicted me.”
Later that week, Toner was removed from five committee chair and co-chair roles.
“I believe these adjustments will help the Council carry out its important work more effectively and ensure that our committee structure continues to reflect the strengths and expertise of our colleagues,” Cambridge Mayor E. Denise Simmons wrote in a letter about the move.
13 other men plead not guilty to identical charge in brothel case
Thirteen other men also pleaded not guilty Friday to the same misdemeanor charge, which carries a maximum sentence of one year in prison, a $500 fine, or both.
John Cascarano, 62, of Hingham; Paul Grant, 51, of Charlestown; Peter MacGillivray, 61, of Boston; Kenneth Posco, 69, of Fitchburg; Howard Redmond, 40, of Tewksbury; George Wu, 58, of Needham; and Boya Zhou, 27, of West Roxbury, allegedly arranged to pay for sex in October 2023, according to court records.
Advertisement:
Marshall Berenson, 63, of Cambridge; Patrick Enright, 63, of Wakefield; Mitchell Rubenstein, 74, of Chestnut Hill; and Harmanpreet Singh, 38, of Woburn, allegedly agreed to buy sex in September 2023, court records showed.
James Cusack Jr., 65, of Boston, and Sankara Asapu, 41, of Malden, allegedly sought commercial sex in March 2023 and June 2023, respectively, according to court records.
Berenson, Cusack Jr., Grant, and Rubenstein are due back in court July 22, court records showed. Enright, Posco, Singh, and Wu are due back July 30, while Cascarano, MacGillivray, Redmond, and Zhou are due back Aug. 1.
To comment, please create a screen name in your profile
To comment, please verify your email address
Conversation
This discussion has ended. Please join elsewhere on Boston.com