BOSTON, Dec. 2, 2014—A Hyde Park man was arraigned yesterday for human trafficking and other charges after he allegedly threatened a woman he advertised on a web site linked to prostitution, Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel F. Conley said.

RICHARD HOLMES (D.O.B. 1/3/91) was arraigned in West Roxbury Municipal Court on charges of trafficking of a person for sexual servitude, deriving support from prostitution, maintaining a house of prostitution, and making threats to commit a crime.  Assistant District Attorney Michelle Slade requested that Holmes be held on $30,000 bail and be ordered to stay away and have no contact with the 25-year-old victim and be fitted for a GPS monitor in the event that he were to be released on bail.  Judge Kathleen Coffey imposed $10,000 bail and the requested conditions of release but denied a motion to revoke Holmes’ bail in an open case charging him with operating a motor vehicle with a suspended license.

Slade told the court that the victim travelled from Maine to Massachusetts in September in order to work as a prostitute and was contacted by Holmes, who allegedly offered her a room in his Pierce Street home.  As part of their arrangement, prosecutors said, Holmes posted online ads offering sex for a fee, kept all of the proceeds, and, in return, provided the victim with heroin and cigarettes, prosecutors said.

The victim fled after a period of several weeks but soon began receiving text messages from a phone number used by Holmes.  In one message, he allegedly threatened to shoot up the victim’s mother’s home if she did not return to Holmes’ residence to work as a prostitute, prosecutors said. 

The woman reported the threats to Boston Police and was interviewed by detectives assigned to the BPD Human Trafficking Unit and Homeland Security.  Based on evidence developed in the investigation that followed, they obtained a warrant for Holmes’ arrest under Ch. 265, Sect. 50, of the Massachusetts General Laws, which provides for up to 20 years in state prison for anyone who “subjects, or attempts to subject, or recruits, entices, harbors, transports, provides or obtains by any means, or attempts to recruit, entice, harbor, transport, provide or obtain by any means, another person to engage in commercial sexual activity.” He was taken into custody after being stopped for driving with a suspended license.

Holmes is represented for bail purposes by Annie Connor.  He will return to court Dec. 30.

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All defendants are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.