Press Release  Boston Man Pleads Guilty, Sentenced to Prison for Human Trafficking and Witness Intimidation in Connection With Trafficking Women for Sex

Boston — A Boston man has pleaded guilty and been sentenced to five to six years in state prison for human trafficking and witness intimidation in connection with supplying multiple women with drugs and trafficking them for commercial sex in Boston, Brookline, Newton, Springfield and Waltham, Attorney General Maura Healey announced today.

Hendricks Mario Berdet (aka “Capo,” aka “Supa Capo,” aka “Supa Mario”), age 33, pleaded guilty Thursday in Suffolk Superior Court to the charges of Trafficking in Persons for Sexual Servitude (12 counts), Deriving Support from Prostitution (11 counts), and Intimidation of a Witness (five counts). Following the plea, Judge Janet Sanders sentenced Berdet to five to six years in state prison, followed by two years of supervised probation.

“This defendant will now serve time in jail for sex trafficking and exploitation,” said AG Healey. “My office will continue to work with our partners in law enforcement to go after traffickers and buyers, so that we can end this exploitation of human beings.”

Berdet was arrested on Feb. 14 in Medford by Boston Police and Massachusetts State Police assigned to the AG’s Human Trafficking Division, with assistance from Medford Police and the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations (HSI).

A Statewide Grand Jury indicted him on the charges in March 2017.

The AG’s Office began an investigation in November 2016 along with the Boston Police Department’s (BPD) Human Trafficking Unit and HSI after the matter was referred by BPD.

The investigation revealed that Berdet supplied multiple women with drugs, including heroin and cocaine, in exchange for engaging in commercial sexual activity for his personal profit. He would distribute the drugs to the women, post advertisements on websites known to advertise sexual services, and transport the women to various homes and hotels in locations including Boston, Brookline, Newton, Springfield and Waltham where they had to perform sexual acts for a fee.

Berdet required the women to provide him with money they received for performing the commercial sexual acts. In some instances, he required the women to reach a certain quota each night, usually between $1,000 and $1,500. In some instances, Berdet also controlled victims’ access to their identification cards and bank accounts.

This case was handled through the AG’s Human Trafficking Division, which focuses on policy, prevention and prosecution and includes a team of specialized prosecutors, victim advocates and Massachusetts State Police troopers who handle high impact, multi-jurisdictional human trafficking investigations and prosecutions across the state. Through the Human Trafficking Division, the AG’s Office has charged more than 40 individuals in connection with human trafficking since the law was passed.

This case was prosecuted by Assistant Attorney General Elizabeth K. Keeley, Chief of the AG’s Human Trafficking Division, with assistance from Nikki Antonucci, Chief of the AG’s Victim Services Division and Assistant Attorney General Matthew Landry, of AG Healey’s Appeals Division. It was investigated by Massachusetts State Police assigned to the AG’s Human Trafficking Division, BPD Human Trafficking Unit, HSI, Investigator Jillian Petruzziello of the AG’s Financial Investigations Division and the AG’s Digital Evidence Lab.

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