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Sunday, may 4

Josh Lanier

Assistant Managing Editor

jlanier@dailyvoice.com

Josh Lanier started his reporting career in high school for his local newspaper. Many — many — years later, he’s still chasing leads for compelling stories. During his time writing for newspapers, magazines, and online publications, he’s covered everything from murderers to mommy bloggers, but his most interesting story is always the next one.

Josh Lanier's Contributions

Police & Fire

Harvard-Educated Sleep Doctor Slept Well In Brookline Home He Bought Defrauding Patients: Feds A federal grand jury indicted a Brookline sleep doctor this week on charges that he ran multiple frauds and laundered hundreds of thousands of dollars to help him purchase a $1.6 million home in the toney town. Dr. Pankaj Merchia, 49, faces three counts of money laundering and one count of health care fraud stemming from the alleged schemes, the US Attorney's Office said. The indictment lays out the two alleged frauds. In one, Merchia continued to bill patients' insurance companies for monthly rentals of CPAP and BiPap machines — breathing devices used to treat sleep …

12/21/2022

Police & Fire

Central Massachusetts Couple Accused Of Sex Trafficking Victim To Multiple States: Feds A Worcester husband and wife potentially face life in prison after federal investigators said they forced a person into prostitution and trafficked them to multiple states for sex. Kiersten Soto, 29, and Moises Soto, 30, were arrested on Friday, Dec. 16, after investigators said they "used force, fraud, and coercion to traffic a victim for commercial sex in Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Connecticut, and Rhode Island" from February through May 2022, the US Attorney for Massachusetts said. Not much more is known about the allegations as the indictment is sealed. The Sotos a…

12/21/2022

Police & Fire

Gunman, Victims All Sentenced In Hadley Walmart Shooting: DA A shooting at a Hadley Walmart bathroom in 2021 has landed the confessed gunman and his two victims in prison, authorities announced on Wednesday, Dec. 21. Wilmer Alvarez-Vargas, 27, of Chicopee, has been held without bail since the Aug. 22, 2021, shooting that seriously wounded two teenagers, Northwestern District Attorney's Office said. A judge sentenced him to four years in state prison after Alvarez-Vargas pleaded guilty to two counts of assault and battery with a dangerous weapon causing serious bodily injury; unlawful possession of a firearm; unlawful pos…

12/21/2022

Police & Fire

Teens Say TikTok Trend Led Them To Rob Melrose Mail Carrier At Gunpoint: DA Two teenagers who police arrested this week and charged with robbing a mail carrier at gun and knifepoint in Melrose said they got the idea from a TikTok. The United States Postal Inspection Service said two 16-year-old Somerville boys were responsible for the midday Dec. 10 robbery. Their names were withheld because of their ages. Investigators said the boys were sitting on the steps of a home on Orchard Lane when the USPS carrier pulled up around 3 p.m. As the woman was walking back to the truck after delivering mail to a home on the street, the boys sidled up and showed …

12/21/2022

Police & Fire

More Charges For Couple Who Ran $1M Organized Crime Ring Out Of Video Store: Worcester DA A 68-year-old Lancaster man is accused of employing an army of drug addicts and professional shoplifters to steal hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of merchandise from stores across Worcester County and reselling the items out of a Leominster strip mall, authorities said. A 43-year-old Fitchburg woman is accused of helping him organize the scheme. John F Duplease Jr. and Penny Williams were arrested last year, but the charges against them continue to pile up. A grand jury this week indicted Duplease on charges of being the leader of an organized retail theft enterprise, aggravated orga…

12/21/2022

Police & Fire

Woman, 25, And Her Dog Killed While Taking Walk In West Springfield: Police A 25-year-old woman was hit by a car and killed while walking her dog Tuesday afternoon in West Springfield, authorities said. The woman, whose name was not released, was walking near the intersection of Piper Rd and Monastery Ave just after 5:30 p.m. when a car crashed into her, West Springfield police said. Responders rushed her to a nearby hospital, but doctors could not save her life. The woman's dog was also killed in the wreck. The driver remained on the scene and was cooperating with investigators. No charges have been filed.

12/21/2022

Police & Fire

Touch Of Health Owner In Swampscott Accused Of Indecently Touching Patient: DA A Swampscott chiropractor turned himself over to police this week after a patient accused him of indecently assaulting her during a session earlier this year. Dr. Ilan S. Amar, who owns A Touch of Health, was arraigned Tuesday, Dec. 20, on charges of indecent assault and battery and assault and battery, the Essex County District Attorney said. The judge released him on personal recognizance, but Amar cannot practice medicine or have any contact with the alleged victim in the case. A 31-year-old woman told police she visited Amar at his 444 Humphrey Street offices on Dec. 5,…

12/20/2022

Police & Fire

Central Massachusetts Man Indicted In Slaying Of Mother Of 2, Wounding Her Mom: DA A Worcester grand jury this week indicted a Fitchburg man in the shooting death of a 41-year-old mother of two and her mom. Keith Jones, 32, faces a slew of charges stemming from the July 16 shooting at 629 Cambridge Street, the Worcester District Attorney's Office said. Felicia Obeng, 41, was sitting on her front porch with her mom, Florence Dansowah, 63, to get some fresh air when they were shot just after 7 p.m. The pair would often sit outside in the afternoons, friends said. Paramedics rushed them both to an area hospital, but doctors couldn't save Obeng. She le…

12/20/2022

Police & Fire

Bail Revoked: Boston Man Accused Of Strangling 2 Children Staying In Jail: DA A 36-year-old man accused of attacking a 12 and 14-year-old girl at an apartment in Boston last week will await his day in court behind bars, a judge ruled on Tuesday, Dec. 20, authorities said. Michael Fairweather is charged with assault and battery, two counts of assault and battery on a child causing injury, and two counts of strangulation from the alleged, the Suffolk County District Attorney's Office said. Fairweather, who was out on bail on an earlier assault case involving the two children, had his bond revoked, which means he will be held in police custody for …

12/20/2022

Police & Fire

Drunk Driver Found Napping On Interstate On-Ramp With Gun, Drugs: DA A traffic jam on an I-93 on-ramp started early Monday morning after police said an intoxicated man decided to take a nap in his car that was filled with marijuana, more than $8,500 in cash, and a loaded pistol. James Charles Knight, 45, faces charges of operating under the influence, illegal possession of a firearm, illegal possession of ammunition, and possession with intent to distribute a Class B substance, the Suffolk County District Attorney's Office said. A judge ordered him held on a $10,000 bond. Police said they found Knight sleeping in his Lexus at the head of a l…

12/20/2022

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