FEATURED ON BOSTON.COM:
A South Boston man arrested over the weekend and accused of soliciting sex online from someone he believed was a 15-year-old girl had worked in Boston's public school system for 36 years as a teacher and administrator before retiring two years ago, school officials confirmed today.
John Caputo, 63, pleaded not guilty to charges of soliciting sex for a fee and enticing minors in Dorchester District Court today.
Undercover officers recently posed as a 15-year-old girl in online exchanges with Caputo and two other men, Boston police said yesterday. Acting separately, each of the three men thenknowingly agreedto meet with the person they believed was an underage girl with the intent of engaging in various sexual activities, police said.
When the three men arrived separately at the arranged meeting locations, various points along Gallivan Boulevard in Dorchester, they were arrested by officers Friday afternoon and evening, prosecutors said. Beforehand, police had obtained the identities of the men who had made online contact with the officers posing as a 15-year-old.
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After their arrests, all three men had posted an initial $300 bail and appeared in court Monday. Caputo is represented by attorney John Henneberry and will return to court on Dec. 7, officials said. Klim is represented by attorney Frank Camera and will return to court on Dec. 27. Nguyen is represented by attorney Pam Murphy and will return to court on Dec. 2.
As repugnant as it is to most of us, the commercial sexual exploitation of children is very real, Suffolk District Attorney Daniel F. Conley said in a statement. It exists because of the demand illustrated here. Boston Police, Suffolk prosecutors, and law enforcement across New England are focusing on this issue like never before, and those who want to buy sex with children can count on more investigations like this one.