DA candidate Ricardo Arroyo releases some documents tied to past allegations of sexual assault

BOSTON — Boston city councilor, and current candidate for Suffolk County District Attorney, Ricardo Arroyo has released some of the investigative files tied to past allegations of sexual assault. Those allegations from 2005 and 2007, first published by the Boston Globe, have sidetracked his campaign in the days leading up to the state primary next Tuesday.

Arroyo has said the documents will prove he did not assault anyone while in high school.

“Last night the Massachusetts Superior Court ordered the release of documents to Ricardo Arroyo that prove that both the Suffolk County District Attorney’s office and the Boston Police Department reviewed allegations 17 years ago against him and determined them to be unfounded,” according to a statement released Friday from Arroyo’s campaign while sharing images of some documents.

One document, dated November 11, 2005, says a Boston Police detective “concluded that this case should be cleared as unfounded.”

An email dated February 17, 2006, that was released by Arroyo, shows a prosecutor informed the alleged victim that “there was no crime committed.”

Some of the files released contradict what DA Candidate Ricardo Arroyo has been saying for days.

On Wednesday at a debate with his political opponent Interim Suffolk County DA Kevin Hayden, Arroyo denied knowing about a sexual assault allegation against him from 2005.

“I’ve never lied about anything in my life. These allegations were first brought to my attention two weeks ago in the Boston Globe,” said Arroyo.

But that statement is at odds with what’s in a 57-page file that was unsealed by a Superior Court judge on Thursday. A Boston Police memo from the Sexual Assault Unit dated 11/3/2005 on page 14 states:

“Later that evening the suspect called. The suspect stated that he had been informed at school of the allegation. The suspect then stated he would seek counsel.”

Then further down on page 14 it states:

“Atty. Vincente stated that he has been informed this is a matter concerning the suspect and the victim being boyfriend and girlfriend.”

Arroyo only released 4 pages of the 57-page document to prove his assertion that allegations of sexual assault against him were unfounded.

The reason for the release of the documents is due to a Suffolk County Superior Court judge ordering the release of some of the investigative files on Thursday, giving police and the DA’s office until 2:00 p.m. Friday to turn specific documents over.

“The privacy concerns of the victims of alleged acts of sexual assault are undoubtedly significant and weighty,” said Judge Debra Squires-Lee in her ruling. “The privacy concerns of victims of alleged acts of rape or sexual assault can be protected through redacting the discoverable documents to conceal the names, addresses, social security numbers, familial relationships, and other personal identifying information.”

A couple of hours before Arroyo’s release of some documents, current DA Kevin Hayden’s office released a statement about the case.

The statement from Hayden came from the DA’s office, not his campaign.

“We have thoroughly reviewed our entire unredacted file regarding the sexual assault allegations against Ricardo Arroyo. Nothing in the file suggests or indicates that the allegations were unfounded. Also, nothing in the file questions the validity of the victim’s statements. The campaign to sabotage this victim’s credibility is shameful.”

Hayden is competing against Arroyo in the state primary. He was appointed to the position by Governor Charlie Baker after former DA Rachael Rollins became US Attorney for Massachusetts.

“It is clear from these new documents that the person who illegally leaked this issue to the media intentionally left out information that proved these allegations were unfounded in order to falsely attack Ricardo and try to win an election,” according to the statement from the Arroyo campaign, “More importantly, the leaking of these files harms people’s trust in the confidentiality of their complaints. In addition, this document clearly shows that Kevin Hayden’s comments today about the case file were lies. His review and comments on the file were also likely illegal and unethical.”

Several high-profile politicians have withdrawn their endorsements of Arroyo since the allegations were first reported, including Mayor Michelle Wu, City Council President Ed Flynn, Senator Ed Markey, Senator Elizabeth Warren, and Representative Ayanna Pressley.

The woman tied to the alleged 2007 assault has previously released a statement that Arroyo did not assault her.

The woman connected to the 2005 alleged incident spoke with the Boston Globe The Globe reported that she stood by what she told police - that Arroyo pressured her to perform oral sex when they were in high school.

“Ricardo believes all allegations of sexual assault should be taken seriously,” according to the statement released by his campaign on Friday. “He understands the pain and the harm that sexual assault causes and he cares deeply for survivors. He believes our systems should deliver justice through due process and providing spaces to be heard, and that’s what he will do as District Attorney.”

Late Friday evening, the City of Boston released the full 57-page document to Boston 25 News.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

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