[Source via Boston Globe By Travis Andersen]
The 14-year-old boy who was allegedly raped by a now-retired Boston police sergeant had texted BPD “alleging blackmail” around the time of the officer’s arrest, his lawyer said in court papers Wednesday.
Kelli Porges, the attorney for Paul Downey, 58, made the disclosure in a motion for discovery evidence filed in Suffolk Superior Court.
Porges said she’s seeking a number of items including any records relating to the youth “texting the Boston Police Department alleging blackmail. According to DCF reports, this incident allegedly occurred during or near the time of the present allegations against” Downey.
It wasn’t immediately clear what Porges meant by alleging blackmail, nor was it clear whom at BPD the teen texted, what specifically was said, or when.
Reached by email Thursday, Porges declined to comment, citing the pending case and the fact that the discovery motion will likely be argued during a pretrial hearing next week.
Suffolk District Attorney Kevin R. Hayden’s office also declined to comment, and Boston police didn’t immediately return requests for comment Thursday.
Downey has pleaded not guilty to charges of enticing a child under 16, child rape aggravated by an age difference of 10 years or more, and paying for sexual conduct with a child under 18.
He remains free on $50,000 bail.
Downey allegedly met the juvenile on the dating app Grindr on March 26, 2025, prosecutors wrote in a court filing. Downey allegedly continued messaging the boy on Snapchat and offered to pay him $30 for oral sex.
Downey allegedly picked up the teenager in his car and drove to a parking lot near the South Bay mall in Dorchester.
Downey then allegedly raped the boy and paid him $50, prosecutors allege. Downey allegedly continued to message the victim for about two months and paid him for sex again in May.
In that instance, the youth memorized a portion of Downey’s license plate number and gave it to investigators, prosecutors wrote. Detectives traced the Snapchat account back to Downey, according to prosecutors, and at one point saw a car allegedly matching the minor’s description parked at Boston police headquarters. Investigators ran the plate number and found it was registered to Downey, prosecutors wrote.
At a prior hearing, Porges said whether Downey knew the boy’s age at the time of the encounters remains a “triable issue.”
Downey, who joined the force in 1991, retired soon after his arrest last year.
The next hearing in his case is scheduled for April 16, records show. Downey’s trial is slated to begin in September.
Material from prior Globe stories was used in this report.