Fritz Blanchard, Aiding and Abetting Prostitution, Maine 2014

Fritz Blanchard, 28, Sentenced to 46 Months for Interstate Prostitution

Portland, Maine - Fritz Blanchard, 28, of Boston, Massachusetts, was sentenced to 46 months in prison and three years of supervised release for aiding and abetting the transportation of women in interstate commerce for prostitution. The sentence was handed down by Judge Nancy Torresen in U.S. District Court.

On August 28, 2014, a jury found him guilty of the charge following a four-day trial. According to the indictment, on March 27, 2013, Blanchard and Samuel Gravely caused a Presque Isle woman and a Portland woman to work as prostitutes at a Portland hotel, advertising their services on backpage.com.

On March 28, Blanchard and Gravely drove the two women, and another Portland woman, from Portland to Boston intending that the three work as prostitutes there. When they arrived in Boston, Blanchard took two of the women to a downtown street and told them how to attract customers and engage in prostitution. One of the two women, upon learning what was expected of her, feigned illness, separated herself, and contacted the police.

U.S. Attorney Thomas E. Delahanty II commended the cooperation of federal, state and local law enforcement agencies in Maine and Massachusetts that led to the rescue of these women and the successful prosecution and conviction of the defendant.

The case was investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations, with assistance from the Boston Police Department; the Federal Bureau of Investigation; the Portland, Presque Isle, Old Town, Brunswick and Saco Police Departments; the Maine Drug Enforcement Agency; and Cumberland County Sheriff’s Office.

Fritz Blanchard, the 28-year-old Boston man, was the defendant in this case. He was charged with aiding and abetting the transportation of women in interstate commerce for prostitution. The crime occurred in Maine.

The exact date of the crime was March 27-28, 2013. Blanchard was sentenced to 46 months in prison and three years of supervised release on August 28, 2014.

Source: https://www.justice.gov/usao-me/pr/boston-man-sentenced-almost-four-years-interstate-travel-promote-prostitution