Attorney arrested in connection with Boston serial rape investigation, authorities say

OCCURRED. JOHN AND ED, THESE WERE SOME VERY FRIGHTENING CRIMES. SO THERE IS RELIEF TONIGHT THAT POLICE WERE ABLE TO FINALLY TRACK DOWN A SUSPECT. MATTHEW NILO HAD BEEN LIVING JUST OUTSIDE MANHATTAN AND WORKING AS A LAWYER. THE 35 YEAR OLD’S LINKEDIN PROFILE LISTS HIM AS A CYBER ATTORNEY, BUT STARTING JUST A YEAR AFTER HE GRADUATED FROM BOSTON LATIN SCHOOL IN 2006, INVESTIGATORS SAY HE RAPED THREE WOMEN AND TRIED TO RAPE A FOURTH. ALL FOUR CASES ARE DNA CONNECTED. INVESTIGATORS SAY THEY USE DNA ANALYSIS AND GENEALOGICAL RESEARCH TO NARROW DOWN A SUSPECT 15 YEARS AFTER THE CRIMES HAUNTED THE COMMUNITY. WHAT WE KNOW TODAY’S ARREST OF MR. NILO CANNOT ERASE THE HARM HE ALLEGEDLY INFLICTED UPON HIS SURVIVORS. WE BELIEVE WE HAVE REMOVED A DANGEROUS THREAT FROM OUR COMMUNITY. POLICE SAY SOME OF THE VICTIMS WERE PICKED UP IN DOWNTOWN BOSTON AND THEN TAKEN TO CHARLESTOWN. PEOPLE WHO KNOW NILO SAY THE ALLEGATIONS ARE SURPRISING. A FORMER COWORKER TELLING ME HONESTLY, VERY SHOCKING. HE WAS NORMAL, A GOOD LOOKING KID THAT DID WELL AT ANYTHING. HE PUT HIS MIND TO. BUT WHILE HIS CAREER WAS TAKING OFF, INVESTIGATORS SAY SCIENTIFIC ADVANCES GAVE THEM AN EDGE, LEADING THEM TO A SUSPECT THEY HAD BEEN HUNTING FOR MORE THAN A DECADE. INVESTIGATE OTHERS, NEVER STOP ANALYZING EVIDENCE, COLLECTING INFORMATION AND RUNNING DOWN WEEDS IN ORDER TO BRING DANGEROUS OFFENDERS TO JUSTICE. NOW, THE SUSPECT’S EMPLOYER IN NEW YORK SAYS THAT HE DID PASS A BACKGROUND CHECK WHEN HE WAS HIRED EARLIER THIS YEAR. HE HAS NOW BEEN SUSPENDED AND INVESTIGATORS SAY HE HAS ALSO LIVED IN WISCONSIN AND CALIFORNIA. THEY’RE ASKING ANY OTHER POSSIBLE VICTIMS TO COME FORW

An attorney who used to live in Boston's North End was arrested Tuesday and charged in connection with a series of rapes that happened in the city about 15 years ago.Matthew Nilo, 35, was taken into custody outside his residence in Weehawken, New Jersey, according to Boston police Commissioner Michael Cox. Weehawken is a township that is across the Hudson River from the New York City borough of Manhattan.FBI Boston Division Special Agent in Charge Joseph Bonavolonta said Nilo is suspected of committing three rapes and one attempted rape between 2007 and 2008 in the area of Terminal Street in the city's Charlestown neighborhood.Authorities said Nilo was identified as the suspect with the help of forensic genetic genealogy, which can find connections between DNA from crime scenes with entire families, giving police a pool of suspects from which to draw."While we know today's arrest of Mr. Nilo cannot erase the harm he allegedly inflicted upon his survivors, we believe we have removed a dangerous threat from our community," Bonavolonta said.Nilo graduated from the Boston Latin School in 2006, according to the school's yearbook. According to his LinkedIn profile page, he obtained a bachelor's degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2010 and a law degree from the University of San Francisco in 2015.The LinkedIn profile page states that Nilo is currently working as a corporate lawyer in the New York City area for Cowbell, a firm that provides cyber insurance.In a statement, Cowbell said Nilo was hired in January after passing the company's background check, and that his employment at Cowbell has been suspended pending further investigation.Nilo is being charged with three counts of aggravated rape, two counts of kidnapping, one count of assault with attempt to rape and one count of indecent assault and battery for the sexual assaults of four women that occurred on the following dates: Aug. 18, 2007; Nov. 22, 2007; Aug. 5, 2008; and Dec. 23, 2008.The Charlestown assaults were a frightening series of assaults that were linked at the time to the same unknown assailant. Boston police in 2008 released an advisory that three rapes had been linked to the same man by DNA testing, but the man’s identity was unknown."If you believe you have been a victim of sexual assault associated with this case or have any information that could be helpful to the investigation, we're asking you to contact either the Boston Police Department or the FBI," Bonavolonta said. Related stories:

BOSTON —

An attorney who used to live in Boston's North End was arrested Tuesday and charged in connection with a series of rapes that happened in the city about 15 years ago.

Matthew Nilo, 35, was taken into custody outside his residence in Weehawken, New Jersey, according to Boston police Commissioner Michael Cox. Weehawken is a township that is across the Hudson River from the New York City borough of Manhattan.

FBI Boston Division Special Agent in Charge Joseph Bonavolonta said Nilo is suspected of committing three rapes and one attempted rape between 2007 and 2008 in the area of Terminal Street in the city's Charlestown neighborhood.

Authorities said Nilo was identified as the suspect with the help of forensic genetic genealogy, which can find connections between DNA from crime scenes with entire families, giving police a pool of suspects from which to draw.

"While we know today's arrest of Mr. Nilo cannot erase the harm he allegedly inflicted upon his survivors, we believe we have removed a dangerous threat from our community," Bonavolonta said.

Nilo graduated from the Boston Latin School in 2006, according to the school's yearbook. According to his LinkedIn profile page, he obtained a bachelor's degree from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2010 and a law degree from the University of San Francisco in 2015.

The LinkedIn profile page states that Nilo is currently working as a corporate lawyer in the New York City area for Cowbell, a firm that provides cyber insurance.

In a statement, Cowbell said Nilo was hired in January after passing the company's background check, and that his employment at Cowbell has been suspended pending further investigation.

Nilo is being charged with three counts of aggravated rape, two counts of kidnapping, one count of assault with attempt to rape and one count of indecent assault and battery for the sexual assaults of four women that occurred on the following dates: Aug. 18, 2007; Nov. 22, 2007; Aug. 5, 2008; and Dec. 23, 2008.

The Charlestown assaults were a frightening series of assaults that were linked at the time to the same unknown assailant. Boston police in 2008 released an advisory that three rapes had been linked to the same man by DNA testing, but the man’s identity was unknown.

"If you believe you have been a victim of sexual assault associated with this case or have any information that could be helpful to the investigation, we're asking you to contact either the Boston Police Department or the FBI," Bonavolonta said.

Attorney arrested in connection with Boston serial rape investigation, authorities say

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