Boston serial rape suspect Matthew Nilo, 35, pleads not guilty to new sexual assault charges

Boston serial rape suspect Matthew Nilo has pleaded not guilty to fresh charges involving the sexual assault of four more women 15 years ago, as his lawyer accused the government of pinning unsolved cases on his client.

Nilo, now a New Jersey lawyer, was arraigned on Thursday on seven new charges relating to attacks on women in Boston's historic North End neighborhood between 2007 and 2008.

The 35-year-old's new charges include one count of both rape and aggravated rape, three counts of assault to rape, and two counts of indecent assault and battery, according to legal filings. 

Nilo, who was supported in court by his fiancée Laura Griffin, was previously charged with a string of incidents involving four different women in the city's affluent Charlestown neighborhood, to which he has also pleaded not guilty.

A clerk magistrate on Thursday set his bail at $50,000 cash, which his lawyer said his client planned to post immediately. 

Matthew Nilo, 35, leaves court with his fiancée Laura Griffin on Thursday after pleading not guilty to the rapes of four more women in Boston's North End neighborhood in 2007 and 2008

Nilo was previously charged with three other rapes and one attempted rape in the Charlestown neighborhood at the same time 

Joseph Cataldo lashed out at the new charges after the arraignment on Thursday.

'They have not turned over any discovery from the new allegations, no police reports,' he said according to Fox News.

'I think they're trying to solve some unresolved cases, and I think the government might be piling on, just trying to claim that Mr. Nilo committed these crimes.'

The assaults happened in January 2007, July 2007, January 2008, and July 2008, prosecutors said. 

Nilo pleaded not guilty to the charges over the incidents involving the first four women, and was released from Boston jail after his fiancée posted $500,000 of his $5million bail and he was fitted with a GPS ankle monitor.

He was about 19 to 20 years old a the time of the attacks and was working as a cyber claims lawyer with the Cowbell insurance firm at the time of his arrest earlier this year.

Nilo's employment was suspended pending the ongoing rape investigation. 

Suffolk District Attorney Kevin R. Hayden told reporters Thursday that the new allegations against Nilo follow a similar pattern to the Charlestown attacks, the Boston Globe reported.

'One of the victims was even attacked twice in just 11 days,' Hayden said.

 'The attacks occurred during a time when Matthew Nilo lived in the North End and coincide with the period of time of the attacks on other women in Charlestown, for which Mr. Nilo was previously arraigned.'

The prosecutor said he hoped advancements in DNA technology would provide the evidence needed to convict Nilo.

'Nothing can eliminate the terror experienced by these survivors,' Hayden said.

'But at least now they have the knowledge that Mr. Nilo must answer the horrible [crimes] he's alleged to have committed. We hope this provides some solace to survivors of these attacks.'

When asked why action had not been taken to ensure Nilo was not released on bail, the prosecutor suggested because the incidents were 15 years ago, he is not still thought to be a threat to society.

The next hearing in the case is scheduled for September 14. 

Nilo's lawyer, Joseph Cataldo, last month said in a statement: 'You can expect both a legal and factual challenge to the government's case.'

Nilo posted the $50,000 bail to secure his release on Thursday after his fiancé  previously posted $500,000 of his $5 million bail relating to his original charges 

Nilo appeared defiant in court as he pleaded not guilty to the new charges including one count of both rape and aggravated rape, three counts of assault to rape, and two counts of indecent assault and battery

Prosecutors allege that Nilo, a Boston native, attacked four women in the North End in 2007 and 2008 - including two attacks on the same woman just 11 days apart.

One attack on January 14, 2008 occurred during the middle of a snowstorm, WCVB reports, while another took place on July 4, 2008.

The string of assaults left the neighborhood on edge at the time, as police warned women to be vigilant and even wear rape whistles.

Authorities believed the rapes were connected, and released a composite sketch of the suspect.

'The newly-indicted attacks occurred at the time Nilo was living in the North End and during the same period as the attacks against women in Charlestown, for which Nilo is already charged,' the Suffolk County District Attorney's Office said in a statement announcing the new charges.

'The incidents followed a similar pattern. The victims were attacked while they were walking alone, in the dark, either at night or early in the morning.'

Nilo is seen partying with friends during his days at a Boston private school in 2007

Alleged victim Lori Pinkham spoke to DailyMail.com outside of a Boston courtroom, calling Nilo 'a very evil person and he used weapons and force to violently kidnap and rape multiple women'

Police arrested Nilo on May 30 in an FBI sting in which he was lured out of the luxury harbor side apartment he shared with his fiancé, Laura Griffin, with the claim that a package had been delivered that was too big to fit in the swanky facility's lockers.

Law enforcement claims to have linked Nilo to the four assaults in Charlestown with DNA evidence identified through the genealogy database 23 and Me, to which family members had voluntarily submitted samples.

The Sexual Assault Kit Initiative - a federal program designed to help process a backlog of rape kits - was used in the investigation after Boston Police Department reached out last October.

Authorities believed the historic rape cases connected and released a composite sketch of the suspect which lead to Nilo's arrest

By April, Nilo had been identified as a suspect according to FBI Special Agent Joseph R Bonavolonta.

He then waived his extradition back to Massachusetts, and was charged in the Charlestown rapes, in which, prosecutors say, Nilo picked up women downtown and brought them to Terminal Street, where he would assault them.

Nilo's first alleged victim, Lori Pinkham, spoke exclusively to DailyMail.com, sharing her ordeal publicly.

Pinkham admitted that she had lost hope that her attacker would ever be caught and said she was, 'in disbelief and awe' when police came to her home and told her they had identified him.

'He's a very evil person and he used weapons and force to violently kidnap and rape multiple women,' she said.

Pinkham could not get into the details of her own assault, she said, but is prepared to testify against Nilo if called to by prosecutors.

Meanwhile, Nilo's attorney says he intends to challenge the constitutionality of the evidence collected by police and federal authorities used to arrest him.

Cataldo accused the government of pinning unsolved cases on his client

Nilo's employment was suspended pending the ongoing rape investigation

Nilo was released from a Boston jail on June 15 after Griffin paid $500,000 towards his bail.

He was fitted for a GPS tracker and was released on the condition he surrender his passport, have no contact with the victims or witnesses and stay at least 1,000 feet away from Terminal Street.

Exclusive DailyMail.com pictures and video show Nilo walking from the courthouse with Griffin, who clutched his hand tightly throughout.

Even more charges may be forthcoming, as police in Madison, Wisconsin - where Nilo attended college - are looking back at their old cases to see if there may be any connection with the suspect.

'Our detectives are aware of Matthew Nilo,' the police department said in a statement to WCVB. 'We are working with Boston police [and] reviewing old cases to see if there is any connection.'