Matthew Nilo, attorney charged in 2007-08 Charlestown rapes, pleads not guilty
BOSTON - Matthew Nilo, the New Jersey attorney charged in a series of unsolved rapes in Charlestown more than 15 years ago, pleaded not guilty at his arraignment in Boston Monday.
Nilo, 35, was arrested at his home in Weehawken, New Jersey May 30. He's originally from the Boston area, and previously lived in the North End.
Prosecutors said he raped three women in the Terminal Street area of Charlestown on August 18, 2007, November 22, 2007 and August 5, 2008, and tried to rape a fourth on December 23, 2008.
Nilo is charged with three counts of aggravated rape, two counts of kidnapping, one count of assault with intent to rape, and one count of indecent assault and battery.
After pleading not guilty to all of the charges in Suffolk Superior Court Monday he was ordered held on $500,000 cash bail and ordered to turn in his passport. He was also told to stay away from the alleged victims and Terminal Street.
According to prosecutor Lynn Feigenbaum, the first attack on August 2007 involved a 23-year-old woman who was looking for help finding her car. Feigenbaum said Nilo gave the woman a ride but took her to Terminal Street and raped her.
"The male told her to shut up or he would kill her and that he had a weapon," the prosecutor told the court.
In the second incident, in November 2007, a 23-year-old woman left a bar in Boston and thought she was getting into a taxi. Feigenbaum said Nilo was the driver and that he "flashed a small knife at her," drove her to Terminal Street and raped her.
The third attack came in August 2008, Feigenbaum said, when Nilo offered to pay a 36-year-old woman who was panhandling to go for a ride to Charlestown with him. She went and was driven to Terminal Street where she said the man put a gun to her back and raped her, according to the prosecutor.
The final incident came four months later in December when a 44-year-old woman jogging on Terminal Street said a man ran up behind her, tackled her to ground and started to sexually assault her. The woman screamed, the man said he had a gun, but she poked him in the eyes and he ran off.
Feigenbaum said Nilo became of person of interest in all four cases in 2022. In early 2023, police started surveillance on him in New Jersey where he lived and at the New York City law firm where he worked. Investigators allegedly took a glass that he used at a corporate event and matched Nilo's DNA to the attacker in all four incidents.
"It seems they obtained DNA evidence without ever obtaining a search warrant. If that turns out to be true, that's an issue that will be pursued vigorously," defense attorney Joseph Cataldo told reporters outside court.
The FBI used investigative genetic genealogy to help identify Nilo. It combines the use of DNA analysis with traditional genealogical research and historical records to generate leads. It's the same method used to identify the "Lady of the Dunes" last year by searching public DNA databases for possible relatives.
Nilo lived in other areas of the country before 2008, including Wisconsin, California, and New York. Anyone who has information or believes they may be a victim associated with this case is encouraged is contact Boston Police or the FBI.
If he posts the $500,000 cash bail, Nilo will have to wear a GPS monitoring bracelet. He's due back in court June 12 for a pre-trial hearing.
