James Chester’s Complaint to the Massachusetts Inspector General RE Rachael Rollins

January 2, 2026

James Chester
[Address Redacted]

The Honorable Jeffrey S. Shapiro, Inspector General of Massachusetts
Office of the Massachusetts Inspector General
Main Office
One Ashburton Place
Room 1311
Boston, MA 02108

Via FedEx Priority Overnight
Tracking No.: [Redacted]

RE: Request for Investigation

Dear Inspector General Shapiro,

I respectfully submit the enclosed materials requesting that your Office review and investigate serious allegations of misconduct involving a Massachusetts District Attorney’s Office and related public officials.

This request does not seek reconsideration of historical charging decisions, nor does it ask your Office to evaluate the sufficiency of evidence in a decades-old criminal matter. Rather, it concerns systemic obstruction of justice, misuse of prosecutorial authority, unlawful disclosure of confidential investigative information, retaliatory removal of investigators, and institutional concealment of child sexual abuse, including conduct that occurred well within the modern era.

As detailed in the attached submission, an investigation into credible allegations of mass child sexual assault was formally opened by Suffolk County District Attorney Rachael Rollins, who then engaged in conduct that apparently resulted in the disclosure of confidential investigative information to the involved charity or its attorneys, thereby materially obstructing the investigation. In fact, Rachael Rollins was later forced to resign as US Attorney for Massachusetts and then publicly reprimanded by the Massachusetts Board of Bar Overseers for precisely the same pattern of conduct. Moreover, investigators and support staff assigned to the matter, including a detective from the Crimes Against Children Unit and the assigned Victim Advocate, were removed or reassigned. Repeated requests to reassign independent investigators and a Victim Advocate were both disregarded. The Attorney General was formally notified and did not respond or intervene.

The matter therefore raises issues squarely within the Inspector General’s jurisdiction: corruption of public processes, abuse of authority, retaliation against public employees, and concealment of misconduct by public officials. The integrity of the justice system itself is implicated.

The retaliatory transfer and removal of investigators and victim support personnel following protected disclosures fall squarely within the Inspector General’s mandate to investigate abuse and retaliation within public offices.

Given the conflicts of interest and prosecutorial failures described, independent oversight is essential. I respectfully request that your Office open a formal investigation, secure and review relevant records, and issue findings as appropriate.

Thank you for your attention to this matter and for your Office’s role in safeguarding public trust in the Commonwealth’s institutions.

Respectfully submitted,

James Chester
[Contact Information Redacted]

Enclosures: Request for Investigation and Supporting Materials

INTAKE SUMMARY

Complainant: James Chester

Agencies Implicated:
Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office
Massachusetts Attorney General’s Office (non-response)

Timeframe at Issue: 2021–2023
(Historical crimes in 1963 provided for context only)

Summary of Matter

This submission concerns obstruction and corruption of a formally opened criminal investigation, retaliation against investigators and victim support staff, and failure of oversight by public officials. It does not seek review of historical charging decisions.

In January 2021, Suffolk County District Attorney Rachael Rollins opened a criminal investigation into credible allegations of mass child sexual assault. Shortly thereafter, conduct occurred that apparently resulted in the disclosure of confidential investigative information to interested third parties, materially compromising the investigation.

Following this breach, the investigation was effectively abandoned without conclusion. Assigned investigators and the victim advocate were removed or reassigned, no replacements were provided, and requests to assign independent investigators were disregarded. The investigation was neither concluded nor formally closed.

The Massachusetts Attorney General was formally notified of these issues and did not respond or intervene.

Basis for Inspector General Review

The matter squarely implicates the Inspector General’s authority to investigate misuse of public office, obstruction of public processes, unlawful disclosure of confidential information, and retaliation against public employees. Independent oversight is necessary due to conflicts of interest and the absence of internal accountability.

Requested Action

Open a formal investigation; secure and review relevant records; issue findings and refer misconduct as appropriate.

January 2, 2026

Request for Investigation

To:              Office of the Inspector General, Commonwealth of Massachusetts

From:         James Chester

Contact:     [Redacted]

Subject: Request for Investigation into Prosecutorial Obstruction, Retaliation, and Institutional Concealment of Child Sexual Abuse

Executive Summary

I respectfully request that the Office of the Inspector General open an investigation into systemic obstruction of justice, unlawful disclosure of confidential investigative information, retaliatory removal of investigators, and institutional concealment of child sexual abuse by public officials, including the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office and the subsequent refusal of intervention by Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell despite documented conflicts and misconduct.

This request does not seek reconsideration of historical charging decisions. It seeks investigation into corruption of the investigative and prosecutorial process itself, including actions that continued into the modern era.

Jurisdictional Basis

The Inspector General has authority to investigate fraud, abuse, corruption, retaliation, and misconduct within state and local government. The conduct described below involves misuse of public office, interference with investigations, and suppression of public accountability.

Statement of Facts (Condensed)

1. In June-July of 1963, multiple children attending the “Stay At Home” day camp at the Charlestown Boys Club, which was operated by the Boys Clubs of Boston, were kidnapped, raped, and threatened with imminent death (by defenestration).
2. Evidence later revealed pervasive pedophilia at the charity, institutional knowledge of abuse, and failure to stop it.
3. A serial child rapist named Edward A. Darragh, Jr. was employed by the Charlestown Boys Club at least from 1952 until the time of the kidnapping, after which he was terminated and only then caught raping children elsewhere and sent to MCI Gardner for life.
4. Decades later, a survivor recovered memory of the crimes and sought prosecutorial action.
5. Two District Attorneys declined to act; one had a direct governance relationship with the charity.
6. A third District Attorney, Rachael Rollins, opened an investigation and then engaged in conduct that appears to have aligned with, or materially benefited, the charity’s interests.
7. Confidential investigative information, including the names of victims of child rape, was disclosed to interested third parties.
8. The investigation was abandoned; all investigators were transferred or terminated.
9. Requests to reassign independent investigators were disregarded.
10. Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell was notified and declined to intervene.

Alleged Misconduct

• Obstruction of justice
• Misconduct in public office
• Unlawful disclosure of confidential investigative information
• Retaliation against investigators
• Conflicts of interest and failure to recuse
• Institutional concealment of abuse

Requested Action

• Open a formal investigation
• Subpoena relevant communications and personnel records
• Issue a public report
• Refer findings to appropriate disciplinary or prosecutorial authorities

Certification: I certify that the foregoing is true to the best of my knowledge.

Respectfully,

James Chester

EXECUTIVE CHRONOLOGY

1963

• Edward Darragh, a serial child rapist later convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment at MCI Gardner, worked at the Charlestown Boys Club beginning at least in 1952 and remaining until 1963.
• In 1963, multiple children attending the Club’s “Stay At Home” day camp were kidnapped and raped. Subsequent evidence revealed that pedophilia was rampant at the Club and that Club officials were aware of abuse but failed to stop it.
• Decades later, perpetrators were identified by a corroborating victim as brothers James and Michael Power.

1996

• After decades of psychotherapy beginning in 1969, I recovered memory of the kidnapping and rapes and immediately reported the crime to the Boston Police Sexual Assault Unit near Boston City Hospital.

1996–2020

• Two Suffolk County District Attorneys, Ralph Martin and Daniel Conley, declined to investigate. DA Martin cited the statute of limitations, and DA Conley cited lack of evidence after refusing to review the evidence.

January 8, 2021

• Suffolk County District Attorney Rachael Rollins opened a formal investigation.

2021: Investigation Opened, Then Obstructed

• March 1–8, 2021: I informed the DA’s office that senior Club directors were aware of the investigation. Shortly thereafter, Michael Power accessed my website for the first time and appeared to be seeking legal counsel. I provided IP-based evidence suggesting the access originated from his residence.
• March 8, 2021: I warned the DA’s office that confidential investigative information appeared to have been disclosed to the Club or its attorneys and requested specific investigative steps, including contacting Edmund Moussally.
• April 2021: Boston Police Det. Jeffrey Firnstein sent certified letters to the Power brothers; both refused to respond.
• July 30, 2021: I learned via auto-reply that Victim Advocate Brittany Doherty was no longer employed. Despite repeated requests, no replacement advocate was ever assigned.

August–October 2021: Abandonment

• August 3, 2021: ADA Alissa Goldhaber and Det. Firnstein informed me that the Power brothers’ accounts appeared coordinated. Edmund Moussally denied prior admissions. ADA Goldhaber stated there was nothing more she could do but also stated that the investigation would not be closed without a conclusion.
• October 29, 2021: My final written request for follow-up went unanswered. No further communication from the DA’s office occurred, and no conclusion was ever issued.

2022–2023: Retaliation and Oversight Failures

• Det. Firnstein informed me that he had been transferred out of the Crimes Against Children Unit. Requests for a replacement investigator were ignored.
• August 22, 2022: A certified letter to the CACU supervisor requesting reassignment was ignored.
• December 2022: I attempted to seek federal intervention; those efforts were unsuccessful.
• May 17, 2023: Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Campbell was formally notified that the investigation had been improperly terminated and did not respond or intervene.

Summary

An investigation into credible allegations of mass child sexual assault was formally opened in 2021 and then effectively terminated without conclusion through apparent disclosure of confidential information, coordinated non-action, removal of investigators and victim support staff, and refusal to assign replacements. Despite repeated requests, no oversight authority intervened.