A Cape Cod man is facing new charges after a grand jury indicted him for the alleged rape and sexual assault of seven women over the course of several months in 2023. Barry Viprino, 43, of Harwich, was initially charged in November for assaults involving three women. Since then, four more alleged victims have come forward, leading to a significant increase in charges against him.
The indictments, handed down on Friday, include 19 counts of rape, one count of aggravated rape, five counts of indecent assault and battery on a person over 14, one count of kidnapping, two counts of assault with a dangerous weapon, two counts of intimidation of a witness, one count of possessing a large capacity firearm, and 15 counts of possessing a large capacity feeding device, as outlined by NBC Boston. Viprino is set to quickly begin facing these charges in Barnstable Superior Court on March 12.
Viprino was firstly apprehended after a woman, referred to as Victim 1, approached Harwich police in August with allegations that she had been raped in what serves Viprino as a garage and home office. Revealing a sinister pattern, she claimed Viprino locked her in, flashed what appeared to be a gun, and forced her to disrobe before assaulting her, according to reports by The Boston Herald. The additional victims share harrowing stories reflecting a chilling abuse of power and control.
Moreover, Victim 2 divulged that she was coerced by Viprino to sell vape pods to minors, and was warned to be punished with further assaults if her sales fell short. Details on the other assaults and victims have not been widely publicized, but the case continues to unravel a tapestry of alleged predation and fear that gripped a small community.
The additional allegations have recast a chilling shadow on Viprino's past, as The Cape Cod Chronicle reports this is not his first encounter with such charges. In 2022, he was tried and acquitted of another rape charge, a past that feeds into a narrative of continuous and unceasing allegations of violence against women. It seems Viprino had been denied a legal license to carry a firearm due to a restraining order associated with the previous allegations, which expired in 2017.
As the community reels from the gravity of these revelations, resources are being cited for victims of sexual assault. Organizations like the National Sexual Violence Resources Center and the Massachusetts list of statewide resources offer support for survivors, a beacon of hope and solace in the wake of such troubling events.
