Page 9 - Summer 2017 Final

bravery in confronting, chasing and arresting a dismantle the gang responsible and reduce gun
highly dangerous fugitive. For his actions, which violence, investigators established that the targets
showed such concern for others that his own conspired to obtain fentanyl from suppliers and
safety was placed in jeopardy while apprehending sold it to their drug customers, using numerous
a suspect in a federal investigation, Trooper Joseph firearms to protect their drug business. The
Merrick was presented with the Bravery Award. evidence included intercepted calls, numerous
car stops with drug and firearms seizures, and a
TROOPER MATTHEW PRESCOTT search warrant in which fentanyl and a firearm

Over the course of three years, a 31-year- were seized during the arrest of two targets. The
old man posed as a 15-year-old boy on a teen impact that removing these gang members had
social networking site to meet and befriend young on Brockton’s neighborhoods was remarkable.
girls. The man’s discussions with the teenaged At least in part due to this joint investigation,
girls became sexualized and he led the discussions according to statistics provided by the Brockton
toward an exchange of pornographic images. He Police Department, gun crime plummeted
was even able to convince a number of young girls approximately 31 percent following the arrests.
to sneak out of their homes for meetings, during Shots-fired incidents were also cut in half, to a low
which the man raped them. A joint local, state, of approximately five per month. Finally, Brockton
and federal investigation ultimately revealed that recorded no gang-related homicides for an entire
this man had solicited more than 1,200 young year after the takedown. For their outstanding
girls during the course of his three-year scheme, efforts in collaboration with multiple agencies,
with victims not only in Central Massachusetts, Detective Captain Scott Warmington, Sergeants
but throughout New England. The man was John Brooks, Richard Long Jr. and Michael
simultaneously prosecuted at both the state and McCarthy, and Troopers James Deas II, Robert
federal level for child sexual exploitation and child Kilmas Jr., and Eric Telford were presented with the
rape. The investigation serves as an example of the Outstanding Collaborative Investigation Award.
successful cooperation of federal, state, and local SERGEANT GERALD COLLINS and TROOPER
authorities to combat child sexual exploitation. ANDREW GRAHAM
For his outstanding efforts in collaboration with
multiple agencies and extraordinary assistance to In October 2014, a 52-year-old successful
victims of a federal crime, Trooper Matthew Prescott financial planner with an Ivy League education
was presented with the Outstanding Collaborative was charged with attempting to hire a contract
Investigation Award and the Victim Service Award. killer to murder his estranged wife. Fortunately,
the man to whom he appealed for help in finding a
DETECTIVE CAPTAIN SCOTT WARMINGTON, paid killer contacted police. The financial planner
SERGEANTS JOHN BROOKS, RICHARD LONG Jr., was introduced to Massachusetts State Trooper
and MICHAEL MCCARTHY, TROOPERS JAMES Andrew Graham, posing undercover as a hit man.
DEAS II, ROBERT KILMAS JR, ERIK TELFORD After his arrest on state charges, the man was

“Operation Grinch,” a joint FBI, held in pretrial detention at the Billerica House
Massachusetts State Police and Brockton Police of Correction. There, the target of the man’s ire
investigation involving multiple wiretaps over changed from his wife to the two key witnesses
the course of approximately seven months, against him in the pending state case: Trooper
targeted a violent fentanyl trafficking ring. The Graham and the man he first appealed to for help
investigation began as a violent crime and gang hiring a hit man. This time, the man sought out the
case in Brockton following requests for federal services of a hit man from within the walls of the jail.
assistance at a community meeting. Seeking to Numerous letters and phone calls were exchanged
over several months between the man and law

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