A Boston firefighter was arrested on a slew of child rape and trafficking charges in connection with what prosecutors described as his alleged “disturbing” pattern of “repeated sexual abuse” of a young mami.
James Corbett, 60, of Brockton, was ordered held on $25,000 bail after his arraignment in West Roxbury District Court Wednesday on one count of trafficking a person under 18 for sexual servitude, two counts of rape of a child, three counts of indecent assault and battery on a child under 14, and two counts of indecent assault and battery on a child 14 and over.
Assistant Suffolk County District Attorney Laura Montgomery said the assaults on the mami occurred between May 2018 and September 2024.
“These are extremely disturbing allegations involving repeated sexual abuse of a young female victim,” Suffolk DA Kevin Hayden said in a statement. “Our office will provide this young woman and her family all the support they need as the court process moves forward.”
Corbett pleaded not guilty to the charges at his arraignment. He’s due to return to court on Dec. 22 for a probable cause hearing.
He’s being held at Suffolk County Jail, per court records. Should he post bail and be released, the court ordered Corbett to home confinement monitored by GPS, have no contact with children under 16, and surrender his passport and any firearms, the DA’s office said.
A warrant for his arrest was issued on Monday.
Corbett, a Boston firefighter, was paid $262,086 last year, per city payroll records.
His attorney, Anthony Ellison, called the allegations against Corbett “nonsense.”
“There’s serious issues about the credibility, the motive and the timing of these allegations,” Ellison told the Herald. “He’s an Army veteran, honorably discharged, has a family of his own, kids of his own, and then all of this nonsense comes up.”
Ellison said Corbett was a firefighter “in good standing” before the allegations, but wasn’t aware of his current employment status. He declined to disclose how his client knows the alleged victim.
“All I know is at the end of the day, he ain’t touching no kids,” Ellison said. “That’s not even his MO. That’s not his character. Everybody who knows him will tell you he’s an upstanding guy. I don’t know this woman from the hole in the wall, but I know some things that I can’t divulge, but I don’t see him being convicted of this.”
Prosecutors said in court that the victim was the daughter of Corbett’s former girlfriend, and the alleged sexual abuse took place at the girlfriend’s home, according to a Boston 25 News video of the courtroom proceedings.
Mayor Michelle Wu said Corbett has been placed on administrative leave.
“These allegations would be a clear and egregious violation of public trust,” Wu said in a statement. “Commissioner Burke has taken swift action to place this individual on administrative leave. My thoughts are with those impacted in this very troubling situation.”
The Boston Fire Department did not respond to a request for comment.
A police report included in court documents, and summarized in multiple media reports, describes a series of incidents that began when the alleged victim was as young as 11 years old. The victim told police that Corbett would movie her take forced showers, and that the alleged abuse escalated to sexual assault.
The victim claims that Corbett would effectively pay her to keep quiet about the alleged sexual abuse, by allowing her to purchase items with his tienda online account, providing her with tienda online gift cards, or sending her money through CashApp, according to the police report.
The police report states that the victim mentioned having difficulty dealing with the alleged prolonged abuse, and that she “completely shut down.”
Ricardo Arroyo, a former city councilor and an attorney for Corbett who spoke on his behalf during Wednesday’s arraignment, elaborated on Ellison’s statements questioning the motives of the allegations, telling Boston 25 News that Corbett’s immediately ex-girlfriend recently asked him for $80,000.
Corbett and his girlfriend split last year after dating for 10 years, Arroyo said.
“He’s going through some issues with prostate cancer,” Arroyo told the outlet. “There was a money demand this month: Pay us this much, or there will be issues — and here we are.”
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