Man Charged with Human Trafficking, Other Offenses in Exploitation of Minor
BOSTON, June 11, 2021—A Mattapan man faces a dangerousness hearing following his arraignment on charges he sexually abused and exploited a teenager, Suffolk County District Attorney Rachael Rollins said.
TRISTAN REID, 21, was arraigned late Wednesday in the Dorchester Division of the Boston Municipal Court on charges of human trafficking, statutory rape, indecent assault and battery, posing a child in a state of nudity or sexual conduct, assault by means of a dangerous weapon, possession of child pornography and dissemination of child pornography. At the request of Assistant District Attorney Anna Holding of District Attorney Rollins’ Human Trafficking and Exploitation Unit, Judge Paul Treseler ordered that Mr. Reid be held without bail pending the outcome of a dangerousness hearing. During a continuation of the arraignment proceeding Thursday afternoon, Judge John Garland set the date for that hearing on Monday, June 14, 2021.
ADA Holding and other SCDAO prosecutors and staff working closely with Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) investigators assigned to the Boston Police Department Crimes Against Children unit initiated an investigation into Cybertips received earlier this year through the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC). These tips indicated that an individual disseminated multiple files depicting graphic child sexual abuse materials (child pornography) through Discord and Dropbox in September 2020 and October 2020, respectively. The IP address identified in the September 2020 tip was found to be associated with the Hecla Street residence where Mr. Reid lived at that time, while the IP address in the October 2020 tip came back to Mr. Reid’s current West Selden Street residence, prosecutors said.
As this investigation was ongoing, the investigative team, working in collaboration with family advocates at the Support to End Exploitation Now (SEEN) program operating out of the Children’s Advocacy Center of Suffolk County, learned that Mr. Reid allegedly raped a juvenile, threatened the victim with a knife and filmed the victim posing in the nude over a period of several days earlier this year. Mr. Reid subsequently used Facebook Messenger to distribute the sexual abuse materials he filmed of the victim. Officers executed a search warrant at Mr. Reid’s home Wednesday and placed him under arrest.
“Children are among the most vulnerable victims we encounter as prosecutors and service providers. These allegations are deeply disturbing and speak to the duty that we all have – as parents, caregivers and people of conscious – to ensure that the children in our lives and throughout our communities are safe and have access to resources to end abuse and begin their journey toward healing,” District Attorney Rollins said. “My prosecutors and victim witness advocates worked closely with Boston Police detectives and other law enforcement partners to investigate this case as soon as we became aware of the allegations, and I’m grateful for their work to hold this individual accountable and serve the victim of these offenses. We also collaborated with our partners in victim services – particularly through Services to End Exploitation Now (SEEN) – to ensure that this victim and others harmed through exploitation have access to vital resources. I’m grateful to each of these partners for their work.”
While the victims and witnesses of any crime should call 911 in an emergency, there are additional resources available to report suspected crimes against children. In Suffolk County, survivors of child abuse and exploitation and their non-offending caretakers can receive comprehensive services at the Children’s Advocacy Center of Suffolk County. The CAC can be reached at 617-779-2146. Survivors may also contact the Child Protection Unit at the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office at 617-619-4300. Anyone who believes that a child in Massachusetts may be the victim of abuse can call the Department of Children and Families’ Child at Risk Hotline at 1-800-792-5200. Those concerned that a child is being exploited online may report a Cybertip to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children at 1-800-THE-LOST or www.cybertipline.com.
Nicole Bresnahan is the assigned victim witness advocate. Mr. Reid is represented by Vincent A. Tofani. He returns to court on Monday, June 14, 2021, for a dangerousness hearing.
All charged individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
Suffolk County District Attorney Rachael Rollins’ office serves the communities of Boston, Chelsea, Revere, and Winthrop, Mass. The office handles over 25,000 cases a year. More than 160 attorneys in the office practice in nine district and municipal courts, Suffolk Superior Court, the Massachusetts Appeals Court, the Supreme Judicial Court, and the Boston Juvenile Courts. The office employs some 300 people and offers a wide range of services and programs to serve anyone who comes in contact with the criminal justice system. This office is committed to educating the public about the services we provide, our commitment to crime prevention, and our dedication to keeping the residents of Suffolk County safe.