February 28, 2007

Ex-trooper pleads to sex charges

By Jonathan Graham

BOSTON -- A 46-year-old former state police sergeant and Lancaster resident who had won two Bronze Stars while in the U.S. Army pleaded guilty in federal court Tuesday to attempting to meet what he thought was a 14-year-old boy he met online.

U.S. District Court Judge George O'Toole sentenced Brian O'Hare, formerly of 26 Lee St., Lancaster, to five years in a federal prison with five years of probation as part of a plea agreement with the U.S. District Attorney's office.

O'Hare, dressed in a gray suit with a gray tie and wearing eyeglasses, told O'Toole he takes "complete responsibility" for his actions.

"I want to apologize to the court and the system that I worked for," O'Hare said at the hearing, held at the U.S. District Court in Boston. "... I want to apologize to my family, any embarrassment and shame that I caused them."

"I just want to get through this chapter in my life, I want to be a father again, and do the right thing," he said, speaking calmly.

O'Hare pleaded guilty to attempting to persuade, induce, entice or coerce a minor to engage in sexual activity, which carries a maximum sentence of 30 years and a $250,000 fine.

O'Hare's attorney, Richard M. Egbert of Boston, criticized the five-year mandatory minimum, as the federal sentencing guidelines required a 46- to 57-month sentence.

Egbert told O'Toole it is unsatsifactory that "a judge like yourself can't judge Mr. O'Hare on the merits of his life," Egbert said.

O'Toole disagreed with Egbert, calling it a "just sentence."

"The Internet has brought many wonderful things to the world, but it has also brought many vile things as well," O'Toole said. "People that you wouldn't expect have succumbed to the temptation to participate."

"Penalties have to stand as a deterrent in the hope that people will think better in the moment (the crime) is presented," O'Toole said.

Egbert spoke at the hearing about his client's sterling record before his February 2006 arrest.

"He has lived a life in the Army and National Guard and state police with nothing but commitment," Egbert said, terming O'Hare's service as "exemplary."

O'Hare won two Bronze Stars and multiple Medals of Valor while serving in Iraq, Korea and Germany with the U.S. Army and National Guard, Egbert said.

O'Hare, a 20-year state police veteran, also took charge of Massport's Logan Airport security after Sept. 11, he said.

After the hearing, O'Hare walked out of the courtroom behind a U.S. Marshal to start his sentence.

O'Hare's brother, sister and sister-in-law attended the hearing, but none of the family members commented before leaving the courthouse.

One of his sisters dabbed her eyes with a tissue while watching Tuesday's hearing.

O'Hare had been under house arrest at his sister's Dracut home while the case progressed.

His wife filed for divorce and took custody of their two children soon after the FBI arrested him.

FBI agents arrested O'Hare after he attempted to meet what he believed was a 14-year-old high school freshman he had met online at a Medford shopping mall.

The undercover FBI agent, who used the screen name "Dan," spoke with O'Hare over the Internet between August 2005 and February 2006, court documents show.

O'Hare, using the screen name "Ranger1777," had sexually explicit conversations with the FBI agent, including discussions on oral sex, jock straps and showers in the boys' locker room.

U.S. Assistant District Attorney Dana Gershengorn indicated at the hearing that O'Hare's career merited a relatively short sentence.

"Given the defendants state police and military service, the mandatory minimum will be sufficient," she said.

O'Toole did not give a fine after Egbert said all of O'Hare's remaining money is going to his family.

February 26, 2007

Ex-state trooper to admit to sex charge
Former Lancaster resident charged with luring child over the Internet 

By Scott J. Croteau TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF 

A former state trooper charged last year with coercing and enticing a fictitious teenage boy over the Internet will admit to the charges in federal court tomorrow, according to court records.

Brian W. O’Hare, a former sergeant with the state police, will appear in U.S. District Court in Boston to plead guilty to charges associated with his arrest and will be sentenced as well, according to federal court records.

Mr. O’Hare, a former Lancaster resident, resigned from the state police in October. At the time he was a sergeant for the state police, Mr. O’Hare was arrested in February 2006 and charged in U.S. District Court with using the Internet to entice an individual younger than 18 for sexual activity.

A father of a teenage boy, Mr. O’Hare was arrested Feb. 24, 2006, by FBI agents after he exchanged e-mails with an undercover agent posing as a 14-year-old boy. The then-trooper showed up at a Medford mall to meet the boy, but was instead arrested.

The 19-year-veteran of the state police was suspended without pay after his arrest. He was also a lieutenant colonel in the state National Guard at the time of his arrest and was removed from his position as the commander of the 211th Military Police Battalion.

State National Guard authorities said Mr. O’Hare was “separated from the National Guard” on April 1 and transferred to the retired reserve.

Mr. O’Hare faces a maximum of 15 years in prison, a fine or both on the charge in federal court.

Records said the defense and prosecution have agreed on a sentence recommendation, but did not detail the terms of the agreement.

The 30-page affidavit filed by the FBI contains online conservations Mr. O’Hare allegedly had with the undercover agent posing at the boy. The two met in an America Online chat room and from August 2005 to Valentine’s Day 2006 they had several online chats, according to the affidavit.

Authorities said they traced the online name used by Mr. O’Hare in the conversations to his then-home at 26 Lee St., Lancaster.

He shared the home with his wife, who filed for divorce sometime after her husband’s arrest.

FBI agents said Mr. O’Hare, who was stationed at the state police Troop C headquarters in Holden, sent a photo of himself to the undercover agent.

October 25, 2006

Ex-trooper will plead guilty to luring teen boy

Scott J. Croteau, Worcester Telegram & Gazette

A now-former state trooper charged earlier this year with coercing and enticing a fictitious teenage boy over the Internet will plead guilty in federal court, according to court documents.

Authorities yesterday confirmed that Brian W. O'Hare, a former Lancaster resident, is no longer a member of the state police. His resignation took effect Monday, according to state police spokesman Sgt. Scott Range. The sergeant would not comment further on the resignation.

Mr. O'Hare, a state police sergeant when arrested in February, is charged in U.S. District Court with using the Internet to entice an individual younger than 18 for sexual activity.

Monday, an updated court filing stated that Mr. O'Hare "intends to plead guilty to the charge(s) contained in the Indictment."

Federal court records show that Mr. O'Hare and federal prosecutors have agreed to a resolution in the case. A change of plea hearing originally was scheduled for Nov. 13 in Boston, but paperwork filed yesterday said the Nov. 13 appearance will now be a pretrial conference.

Mr. O'Hare, the father of a teenage son, was arrested by FBI agents Feb. 24 after he engaged in an e-mail discussion with an undercover agent posing as a 14-year-old boy. He was arrested after he showed up at a Medford mall for what Mr. O'Hare believed would be a meeting with the teen. Instead, agents were waiting.

A 19-year veteran of the state police, Mr. O'Hare was suspended without pay after he was arrested at Meadow Glenn Mall. He pleaded not guilty to the charge when first brought into federal court.

Mr. O'Hare faces a maximum of 15 years in prison, a fine or both. Federal court records did not contain a recommended sentence in the case, only that the prosecution and defense agreed to a resolution.

A lieutenant colonel in the state National Guard, Mr. O'Hare also was removed from his position as commander of the 211th Military Police Battalion and placed on administrative duties after he was charged.

He was "separated from the National Guard" on April 1, not long after Mr. O'Hare was accused of attempting to entice the fake teen online, according to Master Sgt. Pallas A. DeBettencourt of the state National Guard. Mr. O'Hare has since been transferred to the retired reserve, she said.

The affidavit filed by the FBI in the case, which has more than 30 pages, contained several online conversations the then-state police sergeant allegedly had with the FBI agent posing as the 14-year-old teen.

The two allegedly met and began talking in an America Online chat room called "SCHOOLBOIS SHOWERSM4," according to FBI affidavits. From August 2005 to Valentine's Day 2006, when the trooper allegedly set up a time and place to meet the high school freshman, the two allegedly had several online conversations.

Allegedly using the America Online chat room name Ranger1777, Mr. O'Hare and the fictitious teen talked about oral sex, boys showering and how the teenager would look good in a baseball uniform, the affidavits said.

FBI agents were able to trace the online handle to Mr. O'Hare at his home at the time at 26 Lee St., Lancaster. The agents also traced the Internet account to him, authorities said. Mr. O'Hare was a state police trooper out of the Troop C headquarters in Holden at the time the conversations allegedly occurred, authorities said.

Mr. O'Hare allegedly told the undercover agent his name was "Dan" and that he was gay, living in the Worcester area and working around Lexington.

"Well im gay. but not out at all," Mr. O'Hare allegedly stated in an Aug. 29 online chat with the undercover agent. "led a real straight lifestyle."

Mr. O'Hare allegedly sent a photo of himself to the undercover agent.

"This image was of an adult male, purported to be taking a picture of himself in a mirror," according to the affidavit. "The face in the image is obscured by a hand and the flash of the camera."

June 6, 2006 

Trooper is indicted on youth sex charge -
State policeman caught in online sting

Author: Scott J. Croteau, Worcester Telegram & Gazette (MA)

Suspended state police Sgt. Brian W. O'Hare was indicted in U.S. District Court in Boston last week on charges of coercion and enticement online of someone he thought was a 14-year-old boy to engage in prostitution or sexual activity.

The 19-year trooper was suspended without pay after he was arrested Feb. 24 on charges he pursued the boy, an FBI agent posing as a teenager, for months while working in the Holden state police barracks.

The indictment was handed up May 31, according to federal court papers. He is accused of coercion and enticement of a minor to engage in prostitution or sexual activity.

He had an initial appearance on the charge a few days after his arrest at a Medford mall, where officials said he had planned to meet the fictitious boy. Sgt. O'Hare's brother, aunt and sister went with him to court Feb. 27 and his brother signed bond paperwork, agreeing to forfeit $50,000 of equity in his $400,000 home if Sgt. O'Hare violates the conditions of his release.

A lieutenant colonel in the National Guard, Sgt. O'Hare also was removed from his position as commander of the 211th Military Police Battalion and placed on administrative duty after his arrest.

He is from Lancaster, but hasn't lived in his family's home with his wife and children since February. Worcester County Probate and Family Court records list Sgt. O'Hare living in Dracut with his sister. The sergeant previously asked a federal court judge if he could live in Dracut.

Sgt. O'Hare is not allowed to use a computer or have unsupervised contact with children, including his teenage son.

A couple of weeks after his arrest, Anne O'Hare filed for divorce in Worcester County Probate and Family Court. Records show Mrs. O'Hare cites a breakdown in the marriage and her husband's arrest as reasons for filing.

The two were married in Cambridge Nov. 9, 1991, and had a child more than a year later. Mrs. O'Hare had a son before the two were married. The children are 19 and 14, according to court records.

March 7, 2006

SUSPENDED TROOPER SEEKS OK TO RELOCATE

Boston Globe, The (MA)

A State Police sergeant, suspended after being arrested on charges of trying to seduce someone over the Internet he thought was a 14-year-old boy, has asked a judge for permission to move out of his aunt's Arlington home, saying the living arrangement has strained his aunt's work as a third-grade teacher. In a motion filed Friday in US District Court in Boston, the lawyer for Sergeant Brian W. O'Hare said that Barbara Boyle "has encountered problems with her employer because of her decision to house" him. The 19-year veteran trooper, assigned to the Holden barracks, was suspended without pay after he was arrested Feb. 24. O'Hare lived with his wife in Lancaster but, according to the court, he moved out after his arrest. He was given permission by the court to live with his aunt in Arlington as long as he adhered to the conditions of his release. The motion asks for O'Hare to be allowed to live with his sister, Eileen Martins, and her 23-year-old daughter in Dracut.

March 6, 2006

Sgt. wants OK to move - Man facing sex charges

Scott J. Croteau, Worcester Telegram & Gazette (MA)

Suspended state police Sgt. Brian W. O'Hare is asking a judge if he can live with his sister in Dracut and move out of his aunt's Arlington home, claiming the living arrangement has strained his aunt's work as a third-grade teacher.

In a motion filed Friday in U.S. District Court in Boston, lawyer Carlos J. Dominguez said the aunt, Barbara Boyle, "has encountered problems with her employer because of her decision to house" Sgt. O'Hare.

The 19-year veteran trooper was suspended without pay after he was arrested Feb. 24 on charges he seduced someone he thought was a 14-year-old boy over the Internet over a number of months while working in the Holden barracks. The other computer user turned out to be an FBI agent.

Arlington school officials said yesterday they were unaware of any problems regarding the trooper living with his aunt. In fact, they said they did not know Sgt. O'Hare was living with an Arlington teacher. Ms. Boyle is listed on Arlington public schools' Web site as a third-grade teacher at the Brackett Elementary School.

"Neither I nor the principal of the school were even aware of who was living in her house," Arlington Superintendent Nate Levenson said yesterday. "We have never pressured Ms. Boyle in any way, shape or form."

Sgt. O'Hare moved in with his aunt after he was arrested at the Meadow Glen Mall in Medford Feb. 24 and charged the same day in federal court with coercion and enticement of a minor under 18 years old to engage in prostitution or sexual activity.

Sgt. O'Hare lived with his wife in Lancaster but, according to the court, he moved out after the arrest. He was given permission by the court to live with his aunt in Arlington as long as he adhered to the conditions of his release, which included no unsupervised contact with children, including his teenage son, and no use of a computer.

Sgt. O'Hare's brother, aunt and sister went with him to court Feb. 27. The brother signed bond paperwork and agreed to forfeit $50,000 of equity in his $400,000 home if Sgt. O'Hare violates the conditions of his release.

Mr. Levenson and Arlington School Committee Chairman Jeff Thielman told a reporter yesterday they were unaware Sgt. O'Hare was living with Ms. Boyle. Mr. Thielman said he knew Sgt. O'Hare was in Arlington.

The School Committee met Feb. 28 and no one talked about any reported problems Ms. Boyle was allegedly having with the school system, Mr. Thielman said.

"This is the first time I am hearing about any problems Barbara Boyle is having with her employer," he said yesterday when read the motion. "The man is entitled to a fair trial but at the same time we have to do everything in our power to ensure children in our schools are not in any danger."

Mr. Dominguez's motion asks for Sgt. O'Hare to be allowed to live in Dracut with his sister, Eileen Martins, and her 23-year-old daughter. Court records did not show if the motion was allowed. Mr. Dominguez could not be reached for comment yesterday.

Sgt. O'Hare is also a lieutenant colonel in the National Guard, but has since been removed from his position as commander of the 211th Military Police Battalion and is now on administrative duty.

March 1, 2006

Sgt. O’Hare is out of family home

Suspended trooper moves to aunt’s house 

By Scott J. Croteau TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF

Suspended state Trooper Sgt. Brian W. O’Hare is no longer living in his Lancaster home with his wife and is now living with his aunt in Arlington, according to federal court records.

In federal court Monday, Sgt. O’Hare’s brother, aunt and sister all appeared in court. Records show his brother Joseph O’Hare signed the bond paperwork and agreed to forfeit $50,000 of equity in his $400,000 home if Sgt. O’Hare violates the conditions of his release.

Sgt. O’Hare’s wife, Anne, was not in the federal courthouse Monday. Sgt. O’Hare is charged with coercion and enticement of a minor under 18 years old to engage in prostitution or sexual activity.

FBI officials said Sgt. O’Hare was caught in a sting when he allegedly sent sexually explicit messages to an undercover agent posing as a 14-year-old boy. The two met in an America Online chat room, an FBI affidavit said.

Sgt. O’Hare is not allowed access to computers. His aunt agreed to remove the computer from her home, federal court records show.

He can only travel within the state and cannot have any unsupervised contact with children, including his teenage son, said Christina DiIorio-Sterling, spokeswoman for the U.S. attorney’s office.

Sgt. O’Hare was suspended without pay from his job with the state police.

He also is a National Guard lieutenant colonel and was commander of the 211th Military Police Battalion. Maj. Winfield S. Danielson, spokesman for the state National Guard, said Sgt. O’Hare was removed from his position as commander and placed on administrative duty.

Maj. Danielson said yesterday the National Guard will ensure Sgt. O’Hare does not have access to computers while on administrative duties.

Affidavits filed by the FBI in the undercover sting contain several conversations Sgt. O’Hare allegedly had with the undercover agent. Under the handle Ranger1777, Sgt. O’Hare allegedly talked to the agent posing as a teenage boy about sex and other graphic situations.

No new court date has been set in the case.

February 28, 2006

Accused trooper tossed from home by wife

By Casey Ross, Boston Herald

A state police sergeant accused of soliciting oral sex from a 14-year-old boy in lurid online sex chats with an FBI agent has been tossed out of his home by his wife and prohibited from contacting his teenage son.

Sgt. Brian O’Hare, who commanded National Guard units in Iraq and Afghanistan, was forced to appear in federal court yesterday after his wife, Anne, refused to co-sign his bail agreement or allow him to continue living in the couple’s Lancaster home.

“As a result of his arrest . . . there has been marital strife between Mr. O’Hare and his wife,” attorney Carlos Dominguez told a federal court judge. “He has moved out of the house and he’s unable to secure his wife’s presence as a co-signer.”

The brief court hearing followed a day of shocking revelations as newly released court documents detailed dozens of explicit conversations O’Hare had with an FBI agent posing as an Everett High School freshman.

“I’m real horny right now,” O’Hare allegedly wrote in an October chat session during which he expressed a desire for oral sex. “Love to give you your first . . .”

The documents contain dozens of pages of e-mails and instant messages in which O’Hare, who has a teenage son and an adopted son in college, continually references his genitalia and gushes about his thirst for seeing naked boys.

The 19-year state police veteran was arrested Friday in the parking lot of the Meadow Glen Mall in Medford when he arrived for a meeting with his online chat companion.

He was charged with coercing a minor to engage in sexual activity and faces a minimum five years in prison if convicted.

Neither O’Hare nor his attorney responded to reporters’ questions in U.S. District Court yesterday.

O’Hare has been suspended without pay from the state police and also has been relieved of his command of the Massachusetts National Guard’s 211th Military Police Battalion.

Guard spokesman Maj. Winfield Danielson said O’Hare will be reassigned to administrative duties pending the outcome of his trial.

O’Hare led a team of seven Guardsmen assigned to Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan from August 2002 to February 2003. Two months after returning home, he shipped out to Iraq for a five-month assignment supervising the training of Iraqi police in Balad.  

February 28, 2006

Trooper’s chats probed

Online conversations explicit

By Scott J. Croteau TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF

Transcripts of lurid conversations state police Sgt. Brian W. O’Hare allegedly had with an FBI agent posing as a 14-year-old boy paint a picture of a man that no one would expect is a state trooper.

Sgt. O’Hare, a Lancaster resident and 19-year veteran of the state police, allegedly described his body and detailed sex activities to the fictitious 14-year-old boy he met in an America Online chat room called “SCHOOLBOIS SHOWERSM4,” according to FBI affidavits.

The 30-plus page affidavit by FBI agent Jeremy Morrissey contains several sexually explicit online conversations Sgt. O’Hare allegedly had with the FBI agent.

The online conversations lasted from August to Valentine’s Day, when the trooper allegedly set up a time and place to meet the high school freshman, the affidavit said.

On Friday, Sgt. O’Hare pulled into the Meadow Glen Mall in Medford. Instead of meeting with the 14-year-old boy for sexual activities, he met FBI agents who were there to arrest him.

Sgt. O’Hare was charged with coercion and enticement of a minor under 18 years old to engage in prostitution or sexual activity on Friday in federal court in Boston.

He was released on $50,000 unsecured bond and was back in court yesterday with his wife to sign paperwork for the bond, officials from United States Attorney Michael J. Sullivan’s office said.

Sgt. O’Hare was suspended without pay on Friday and state police officials said they are aware of the charges.

Sgt. O’Hare allegedly used the America Online chat room name Ranger1777 when he talked to the undercover agent, the affidavit said. FBI agents traced the online handle to Sgt. O’Hare and his home on 26 Lee St., Lancaster.

The agents also traced the Internet account to Sgt. O’Hare.

At some time during the six-month investigation, the FBI agents knew Sgt. O’Hare was a state police trooper out of the Troop C headquarters in Holden, FBI spokeswoman Gail A. Marcinkiewicz said yesterday.

The transcripts of the roughly 10 online chats between Sgt. O’Hare and the undercover agent contain conversations about oral sex, boys showering and how the teenager would look good in a baseball uniform.

At one point Ranger1777 warns the boy to be careful no one else sees the chats online, according to the affidavit.

“u better be careful they don’t know what your doing and (expletive),” Sgt. O’Hare allegedly said.

Sgt. O’Hare allegedly told the undercover agent his name was “Dan” and that he was gay, living in the Worcester area and working around Lexington.

“well im gay. but not out at all,” Sgt. O’Hare allegedly said in an Aug. 29 online chat with the fictitious teenager. “led a real straight lifestyle.”

During the investigation, FBI agent Morrissey said Sgt. O’Hare expressed the desire to be a friend and sexual teacher to the boy and could teach “other things besides schoolwork,” the affidavit said.

The FBI e-mailed a picture of a clothed teenage boy to Sgt. O’Hare Oct. 12, the affidavit said. Sgt. O’Hare allegedly called the teenager cute and then spoke in sexual terms with the boy.

Sometime during the online chats Sgt. O’Hare allegedly gave the undercover agent a phone number and asked the “boy” to call it so the two could talk on the phone, the affidavit said.

An agent left a message on the phone Dec. 7 and then later that day Sgt. O’Hare said he received the phone message from the “teen” during an online chat, the affidavit said.

Sgt. O’Hare allegedly sent a photo of himself to the teenager Jan. 29.

“This image was of an adult male, purported to be of taking a picture of himself in a mirror,” according to the affidavit. “The face in the image is obscured by a hand and the flash of the camera.”

Search warrants for Sgt. O’Hare’s home were filed, but Ms. Marcinkiewicz said yesterday she could not comment on the warrant since it had not been returned yet.

Sgt. O’Hare is a National Guard lieutenant colonel and commander of the 211th Military Police Battalion, Major Winfield S. Danielson, spokesman for the state National Guard, said yesterday.

Major Danielson said Sgt. O’Hare has been removed from his position as commander and placed on administrative duty.

The reassignment involves doing paperwork and special projects. He said the guard felt the reassignment was prudent because, given the charges, it would be a distraction to soldiers who are in training.

Papers detail a 'dark side'

Decorated trooper faces sex charges

By Shelley Murphy and Raja Mishra, Globe Staff  |  February 28, 2006

Before he was an accused Internet child predator, Brian O'Hare was a stalwart soldier in the war on terrorism, running security at Logan International Airport after Sept. 11, 2001, then earning two Bronze Star medals for valor during combat duty in Afghanistan and Iraq.

As new details emerged about O'Hare's military accomplishments, prosecutors yesterday released documents detailing the decorated Massachusetts Army National Guardsman's alleged dark side as the Internet persona ''Ranger1777" who conducted a seven-month online seduction of a 14-year-old, who in actuality was an FBI agent running a sting operation.

O'Hare, a State Police sergeant who appeared yesterday in US District Court in Boston, was released on $50,000 bond with orders to avoid the Internet,as well as children, including his son. If convicted of using the Internet to entice a minor into sex, O'Hare, 45, faces five to 20 years in prison.

The new evidence, combined with O'Hare's military records, portray a man at the front lines in fighting terrorism, including a stint training Iraqi police officers in a town outside Baghdad rife with insurgent attacks.

But in Internet transcripts released yesterday, police say that O'Hare, married with two children, admits to being a frustrated and closeted homosexual attracted to younger men and boys.

''Well I'm gay. . . . but not out at all . . . led a real straight lifestyle," he messaged the teen, who was FBI agent Jeremy Morrissey posing online as a boy to catch potential predators, according to court papers. ''It sucks . . . but it's the way it is now."

O'Hare, dressed yesterday in a dark suit, long wool coat, and wire-rimmed glasses, did not respond when reporters asked him for comment. He sat expressionless throughout his hourlong court appearance.

His lawyer, Carlos J. Dominguez of Boston, declined to comment on the charges, saying it was premature to discuss the case since the FBI was ''still investigating the stuff they seized" from O'Hare's home in Lancaster.

The Massachusetts National Guard, which O'Hare joined in 1990, has relieved him of his duties as a lieutenant colonel leading the 211th Military Police battalion and reassigned him to a desk job for the duration of his case, according to a Guard spokesman, Major Winfield Danielson.

''Allegations of this nature obviously have an impact. . . . The soldiers need to be able to focus on their mission," he said. ''This is going to be disturbing to the soldiers that served under him."

O'Hare was the battalion's executive officer at Bagram Air Force base in Afghanistan from August 2002 to September 2003, policing US soldiers for wrongdoing. While there, he delivered school supplies to poor Afghan children using funds raised by his wife, according to US Army publications.

From April to September 2003, he oversaw training of Iraqi police in Balad, a restive Sunni area about 70 miles outside Baghdad.

O'Hare also led military security efforts at Logan after 9/11 and in Boston during the 2004 Democratic National Convention.

O'Hare was awarded two Bronze Stars for service in Iraq and Afghanistan and received Army medals for good conduct, meritorious service, and achievement. ''His record on the military side speaks very highly of him," Danielson said.

O'Hare has been a member of the Massachusetts State Police for 19 years, last assigned to the Holden barracks.

''I can say without reservation that Brian O'Hare has for 19 years been a trooper that people can be proud of," said Timothy M. Burke, a Needham lawyer who routinely represents Massachusetts State Police troopers and has known O'Hare nearly 20 years.

But yesterday authorities described a more disturbing side of O'Hare.

He was ensnared in the FBI sting when he joined the America Online chat room ''SCHOOLBOIS SHOWERSM4." There, he introduced himself to someone he thought was a 14-year-old male, saying he was ''5-10 180 bro/blu . . . masc guy . . . hairy chest," according to court documents.

But during one chat, O'Hare acknowledged he was aware the boy's age posed a problem: ''Just nervous . . . cause of the age difference . . . some would think it's bad . . . have to be careful," he messaged, according to court documents.

Police say O'Hare eventually e-mailed a photo of himself in underwear, then proposed performing oral sex on the boy. Police arrested him Friday at Meadow Glen Mall in Medford, where police say he had arranged to meet his chat partner.

The charges have apparently caused problems in O'Hare's family.

''As a result of the arrest and allegations, there's been strife with Mr. O'Hare and his wife," Dominguez said in court yesterday, adding that O'Hare has moved out of his home and his wife refused to cosign a bond for him.

O'Hare's brother, sister, and aunt accompanied him to court. His brother, Joseph O'Hare of Hull, signed a bond document, agreeing to forfeit $50,000 worth of equity in his home if his brother violates bail conditions. Brian O'Hare will stay in Arlington with his aunt, who has no children living with her. 

February 27, 2006

Trooper allegedly lured teen

By Scott J. Croteau TELEGRAM & GAZETTE STAFF

A state police sergeant from the Holden barracks, a Lancaster resident and member of the National Guard, allegedly sent numerous sexually explicit messages over the Internet to a computer user he thought was a 14-year-old boy, according to the FBI. It turned out Sgt. Brian O’Hare was corresponding with an undercover federal agent.

Sgt. O’Hare, a 19-year veteran of the state police and a lieutenant colonel with the Massachusetts National Guard, will be back in federal court in Boston today, where he appeared briefly Friday to face a charge of coercion and enticement of a minor under 18 years old to engage in prostitution or sexual activity, according to FBI spokeswoman Gail A. Marcinkiewicz.

The trooper was arrested Friday after driving to the Meadow Glen Mall in Medford to meet a “teen” with whom he had corresponded in an online chat room, Ms. Marcinkiewicz said. At the mall, Sgt. O’Hare found FBI agents waiting for him and he was taken into custody.

“He was going to meet with what he felt was a 14-year-old boy,” Ms. Marcinkiewicz said.

Sgt. O’Hare was released from court Friday on $50,000 unsecured bond and will be back in court today to deal with bail and other court issues, Ms. Marcinkiewicz said. Sgt. O’Hare could receive five years in prison if convicted, she said.

Sgt. O’Hare was suspended by the state police Friday after a duty-status hearing was held, according to a statement from the state police.

“The Department is aware of the arrest and the seriousness of the allegations made against Sgt. Brian O’Hare,” Lt. Sharon S. Costine said in the statement. “The Department will be monitoring the proceedings as they progress.”

Sgt. O’Hare, stationed at Troop C headquarters in Holden, remains a member of the Massachusetts National Guard, military officials said yesterday.

Sgt. O’Hare is a National Guard lieutenant colonel who in 2004 commanded the 211th Military Police Battalion in Iraq. A third-generation guardsman, Sgt. O’Hare had soldiers under his command conduct raids on insurgents, provide security for convoys and set up prisoner-of-war holding areas.

In 2005, Sgt. O’Hare was listed as a battalion commander for the 747th Military Police Company. He also commanded a security task force made up of military police and other units for the state National Guard at the Democratic National Convention in Boston two years ago.

Yesterday, Major Winfield S. Danielson confirmed that Sgt. O’Hare is an active guardsman, but cited privacy issues when asked if the state police sergeant is still a commander of any units.

“We are aware of the charges,” Maj. Danielson said yesterday. “We will take action after we see what happens with the civilian case.”

The FBI sting started about six months ago when agents posed as teens on an AOL chat room with a title that referred to boys and showers, according to Ms. Marcinkiewicz. Sgt. O’Hare, using the AOL chat room name Ranger1777, allegedly talked to an FBI agent who was posing as a 14-year-old high school boy, Ms. Marcinkiewicz said. The state police sergeant allegedly had several explicit chats with the undercover agent and at one point the two arranged to meet at the Medford mall, she added.

The FBI had sent a picture of a teenage boy to Sgt. O’Hare and he allegedly sent back a photo he said was of himself, Ms. Marcinkiewicz said. The photo allegedly sent by Sgt. O’Hare was of a man in his underwear, but the face was not visible, according to the spokeswoman.

February 26, 2006

FBI nabs state trooper in sex sting

By O’Ryan Johnson, Boston Herald 

“We had numerous chats with him over the last few months that were very sexually explicit in nature,” she said.

Their conversations included a swap of photos. Marcinkiewicz said O’Hare sent agents a picture of a man wearing only underwear. Agents replied with the photo of a teenage male, the source of which Marcinkiewicz would not disclose.

State police Lt. Sharon Costine issued a statement saying O’Hare was suspended without pay after a hearing that happened on the day of his arrest.

CØNTE2006.COM