Matthew Nilo, an attorney from New Jersey, appeared in court as his legal team challenged DNA evidence collected during a covert FBI operation. This evidence, according to prosecutors, connects him to assaults in Boston over 17 years ago.
Nilo, now 38, was accompanied by his fiancée, Laura Griffin, at the Suffolk Superior Court. The hearing’s focus was on DNA evidence linking him to multiple assaults that occurred in 2007 and 2008 when he was 19 or 20.
Matthew Nilo is currently released on bail while facing charges related to a series of rapes in Boston.
Nilo’s attorneys argued the evidence should be dismissed since it was collected without a warrant during a 2023 FBI stakeout at a restaurant in Manhattan. FBI agents followed him from New Jersey and used restaurant staff to obtain items like glasses, a fork, and a napkin.
Nilo’s defense claims these items were not abandoned intentionally, asserting he had no real chance to retrieve them. His attorney, Joseph Cataldo, emphasized that the DNA was taken without Nilo’s consent or a warrant.
Prosecutors maintain that, once left behind and cleared by staff, Nilo forfeited any privacy expectations. The FBI highlighted the success of investigative genetic genealogy, which led to his arrest. This method helped identify DNA links using a public genetic database.
Investigators matched DNA from the victims to a profile linked to Nilo’s relatives. A confirmed match came from a glass Nilo used at a New York event. Despite charges, including multiple counts of rape and assault, Nilo remains free on bail.
Initially charged in May 2023, Nilo faced additional indictments by July 2023. These include various counts of rape and assault.
Fox News Digital sought comments from Nilo’s attorney for further insights.