Woman, man charged after knifepoint robbery in downtown hotel
BOSTON, December 26, 2023 – A New York woman and a Lawrence man are facing armed robbery and other charges in connection with a man lured to a downtown Boston hotel for a sexual encounter and then robbed at knifepoint, Suffolk District Attorney Kevin Hayden announced.
DANINE SIMPSON, 27, of the Bronx and ROBERT SANTANA, 28, of Lawrence were arraigned on Friday in Boston Municipal Court central division. Simpson was charged with armed robbery and ordered held on $1,500 bail by Judge James Coffey. Santana was charged with illegal possession of a firearm, illegal possession of ammunition, illegal possession of a loaded firearm and illegal possession of a high-capacity magazine. Coffey ordered Santana held without bail pending a December 28 dangerousness hearing.
On December 21, Boston police responded to the Hilton Hotel at 40 Dalton Street on a call of a victim threatened with a knife. Officers met with a man who stated he had been informed about a sex for fee service and then contacted a female on a website and arranged a meeting on the 23rd floor of the hotel. The man said Simpson called him into her room when he arrived, brandished a knife and ordered him to hand over $200. The man handed the money over and then reported the incident to the hotel lobby. Officers arrived on scene and the man identified Simpson as the person who robbed him.
When officers set up initial surveillance of the room they observed a man exit and walk away from officers. When officers stopped the man, later identified as Santana, he tried to back away and started to profusely sweat. Officers conducted a pat frisk for their safety due to the confined quarters and Santana’s actions. In Santana’s fanny pack they found a Glock 9mm handgun loaded with eight rounds.
The man who went to the hotel seeking sex will be charged at a later date with engaging in sexual conduct for a fee.
“This was a dangerous incident all around, both for the man who placed himself in an unknown situation with unknown people and for the police officers who responded to an armed robbery call and ended up dealing with an individual with a loaded gun,” Hayden said.
All charged individuals are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
Suffolk County District Attorney Kevin Hayden’s office serves the communities of Boston, Chelsea, Revere, and Winthrop, Mass. The office handles over 20,000 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.
James Borghesani, Chief of Communications