Boston Man Convicted of Aiding Prostitution Ring

A Boston man has been found guilty of helping run a prostitution ring that spanned across the country.

Fritz Blanchard, 28, was convicted yesterday in US District Court of aiding and abetting the interstate transportation of women for prostitution after a four-day jury trial in Portland, Maine.

According to the indictment and trial evidence, Blanchard and an accomplice, Samuel Gravely, caused three women to engage in prostitution at a Portland hotel, advertising their services on backpage.com.

The next day, Blanchard and Gravely drove the women from Portland to Boston, intending for them to work as prostitutes. When they arrived, Blanchard took two of the women to a downtown street and showed them how to attract customers and engage in prostitution.

Blanchard faces up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. He will be sentenced after completion of a presentence investigation report by the US Probation Office.

Gravely, who pled guilty to interstate transportation of women for prostitution in November 2013, awaits sentencing.

The case was investigated by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations, with assistance from several local police departments and the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency.

Blanchard’s conviction is a significant blow to human traffickers who prey on vulnerable women and girls.

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