The Boston Globe reported late yesterday that a grand jury has indicted Bryon Hefner, husband of Massachusetts Senator Stanley C. Rosenberg, on “multiple charges of sexual assault, criminal lewdness and distributing nude photographs without consent.”
According to the Globe:
The indictments, issued by a statewide grand jury, follow a joint investigation by the attorney general and the Suffolk district attorney into allegations by several men, first reported by the Globe, that Hefner assaulted and harassed them during the past few years, when Rosenberg was Senate president.
The alleged victims told the Globe that Hefner boasted of his influence on Beacon Hill and that they were reluctant to report his assaults for fear of alienating his powerful husband and harming their careers. Two of those men say they are among the four victims cited in Thursday’s indictment. …
“Today’s indictments send a clear message that we will not tolerate behavior of this kind,” Attorney General Maura Healey said in a statement, thanking the victims for coming forward.
District Attorney Daniel F. Conley said the joint investigation had revealed “a disturbing pattern of conduct that was not only inappropriate, but criminal. . . . We know the facts specific to this case, with many of the parties working in politics and government, made it especially daunting to come forward.” …
Hefner will receive a summons to appear in Suffolk Superior Court on April 24 to be arraigned on the charges. Most of the counts carry a maximum sentence of five years in state prison. …
In a statement to the Globe in November, Hefner said he was shocked by the men’s allegations and could not respond to anonymous accusers. If the case proceeds to trial, those who accuse him of assaulting or exploiting them will probably face him in a courtroom.
In a statement to the Globe in November, Hefner said he was shocked by the men’s allegations and could not respond to anonymous accusers. If the case proceeds to trial, those who accuse him of assaulting or exploiting them will probably face him in a courtroom. …
The indictment will likely intensify the turmoil that began in the Senate after the allegations first surfaced, costing Rosenberg his Senate presidency and leaving the chamber in disarray as others jockeyed to replace him. It comes just as a senator has claimed the votes to be the next president and legislators are attempting to move forward with the business of lawmaking.
In an emotional statement the day after the allegations against his husband first emerged, Rosenberg said he was heartbroken and expressed sympathy for those who said Hefner had assaulted them. Rosenberg, who had vowed that there would be a firewall between his personal life and State House business after an earlier controversy over Hefner’s meddling in Senate business, insisted again that Hefner had no influence over the business of the Senate.
He said Hefner had entered an inpatient treatment center for alcohol dependence. The couple has since separated.
