Thursday, 4:30 PM
Former Boston city councilor charged with trying to entice minor
(Pool Photo/Courtesy of Fox-TV)
Former Boston City Councillor David Scondras was arraigned today in Lawrence District Court.
By Brian R. Ballou and Michael Levenson, Globe Staff
A former five-term Boston city councilor pleaded not guilty today in Lawrence District Court to charges that he tried to seduce who he thought was a 15-year-old boy with sexually explicit instant Internet messages.
David Scondras, 60, is accused of using the name "Topdadd" to send graphic photographs and sexual messages to a man who identified himself as a 15-year-old. Lawrence police arrested Scondras on Monday in the parking lot of a charter school where authorities say he had arranged to meet who he thought was a teenager.
Police allege that Scondras was really communicating with a 20-year-old security guard who alerted an officer after he received a sexually explicit message.
Police told the security guard to tell the author of the message that he was 15 years old. The author responded that age wasn't a problem and set up a time to meet, investigators allege.
Police said they approached Scondras when he arrived in the parking lot of the charter school. The former city councilor tussled with an officer, police said, and tried to run off with one of the investigator's cell phones. He was handcuffed and taken into custody.
Scondras faces charges that include enticing a minor under 16; resisting arrest; assault and battery on police officer; purchasing alcohol for a person under 21; and larceny under $250. He was released on $1,500 bail.
Scondras, who was Boston's first openly gay city councilor, was voted out of office in 1993. Since leaving government, he has run an AIDS nonprofit out of his home in Cambridge.
