BOSTON, July 22, 2015—Eight former youth workers have been indicted on charges that they abused and threatened juveniles in custody at a residential facility in Boston Harbor last year, Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel F. Conley said.

The eight defendants were employed by Volunteers of America, which was contracted by the Department of Youth Services, at the time of the alleged abuse last year. They are:

1. JALISE ANDRADE (D.O.B. 6/8/1981) of Brockton, charged with three counts of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon and one count each of intimidation of a witness and threats to commit a crime;
2. JOSEPH CINTOLO (D.O.B. 6/14/1989) of Quincy, charged with assault and battery with a dangerous weapon;
3. SILVIO DEPINA (D.O.B. 4/10/1978) of Brockton, charged with assault and battery, two counts of indecent assault and battery, five counts of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, and four counts each of intimidation of a witness and threats to commit a crime;
4. EMMANUEL FEDNA (D.O.B. 11/15/1984) of Everett, charged with assault and battery with a dangerous weapon;
5. WILKENS JEANTY (D.O.B. 12/1/1974) of Quincy, charged with assault and battery with a dangerous weapon;
6. HERMANO JOSEPH (D.O.B. 11/30/1990) of Taunton, charged with three counts of indecent assault and battery, two counts of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, and single counts of assault and battery, intimidation of a witness, and threats to commit a crime;
7. AINSLEY LAROCHE (D.O.B. 10/11/1974) of Roxbury, charged with three counts each of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, intimidation of a witness, and threats to commit a crime; and
8. RAYMOND PIZARRO  (D.O.B. 11/15/1990) of Hyde Park, charged with assault and battery with a dangerous weapon

Seven of the defendants appeared in court today; the eighth defendant, Fedna, is expected to be arraigned tomorrow.  After each of the defendants appeared for arraignment today on a summons, Assistant District Attorney Gloriann Moroney did not ask for cash bail.  At Moroney’s request, Clerk Magistrate Anne Kaczmarek ordered each defendant to stay away from all DYS facilities, stay away and have no contact with any known current or former DYS residents, not hold any employment or volunteer position with anyone under the age of 18, and have no unsupervised contact with anyone under the age of 18 with the exception of underage relatives.

Moroney told the court that the defendants used a “ritualized” punishment technique at the Casa Isla DYS facility on Long Island during a period between April and August 2014 in which they would pull a juvenile victim’s pants down and strike the victim’s bare buttocks with an orange DYS-issued sandal. Moroney told the court that juveniles were targeted for the abuse because they misbehaved, because they returned to the facility after being discharged, or on the eve of their discharge as a warning not to return. The victims were threatened with harm if they disclosed the abuse.

State troopers assigned to the Suffolk County State Police Detective Unit began their investigation last summer after a referral by DYS and the Department of Children and Families. Both agencies participated in the investigation, which resulted in a grand jury probe led by Suffolk prosecutors assigned to the DA’s Child Protection Unit. Juveniles held at Casa Isla were removed from the facility and the program was closed last year as the investigation got under way.

Andrade was represented by attorney Gerry Noonan, Cintolo by Andrew Stockwell-Alpert, Jeanty by Elliot Levine, Joseph by Michael Tumposky, Laroche by Michael Doolin, and Pizarro by Stanley Helinski.  Depina was represented at arraignment by Nicole Oribhabor and will be represented at future dates by Anthony Ellison.  All return to court Sept. 22.

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