Sober-home operator charged with soliciting sex, nudes in exchange for reduced rent and other favors for women tenants

The national authorities contiguous accused a Dorchester antheral who runs a bid of "sober homes" successful Dorchester, Roxbury and Lynn of violating the national Fair Housing Act done intersexual harassment and intimidation implicit a five-year period.

In a suit filed successful US District Court successful Boston, the US Attorney's bureau charged that Peter McCarthy of Steps to Solutions "subjected galore pistillate tenants of the sober homes to favoritism based connected sex, including unwelcome severe, pervasive, and quid pro quo intersexual harassment connected aggregate occasions," by demanding enactment oregon sometimes conscionable nude photos successful speech for favors specified arsenic breaks successful rent oregon overnight passes to enactment with a relative.

Unlike halfway houses, specified arsenic one approved for Lower Mills yesterday, sober homes are not regulated by the metropolis oregon state. In the suit, the authorities said McCarthy rents full houses, past rents retired rooms to radical trying to get sober, including houses astatine 27 Lithgow St. successful Dorchester and 9 Kearsarge St. successful Roxbury.

In 1 case, the authorities alleges, McCarthy told 1 pistillate that their kids could play unneurotic portion helium and she had enactment successful speech for a walk to walk a nighttime with her mother.

In different case, the authorities charges:

In oregon astir 2019, Defendant McCarthy sent sexually explicit substance messages to a pistillate resident. McCarthy sent her texts that said “[your] assemblage looks bully to me,” “don’t fell that body,” and “send maine a ablution pic[ture].” The pistillate nonmigratory stated that she did substance him a sexually explicit photograph due to the fact that she was down connected rent and feared that McCarthy would footwear her retired of the sober location if she did not bash so.

The authorities added:

The experiences of these pistillate tenants were not isolated instances. Rather, these instances were portion of Defendant McCarthy's longstanding signifier oregon signifier of amerciable intersexual harassment of galore pistillate tenants.

The above-described actions and behaviour of Defendant McCarthy caused pistillate tenants to endure carnal harm, fear, anxiety, and affectional distress, and inhibited their quality to stay successful oregon unafraid housing.

In its suit, the authorities asks a justice to bid McCarthy to instantly halt each this and to grant damages to the women affected by his actions.