Two officers are facing legal issues after being indicted for allegedly operating an unauthorized nightclub in Jamaica Plain. A Boston Police Department officer and a Boston Public Health Commission campus police officer are accused of prioritizing the club over their official duties.
Richard McDermott and Luigi D’Addieco are alleged to have transformed a space leased for an HVAC business into a fully operational, illegal nightclub, featuring bouncers, cover charges, and hookah pipes. Their activities might have continued without detection if not for a violent incident on July 10, 2021, when a dispute escalated into gunfire, injuring a bouncer, as reported by MassLive.
According to charging documents obtained by The Boston Globe, this secret venture offered bottle service and promoted itself on social media. It appears these officers were not only focused on their duty to protect and serve; they also sought to entertain and profit, despite the legal risks involved.
When the tactical police force arrived at the scene of the shooting, they found McDermott among those leaving, and he pretended not to know what had happened. "Had no idea what was going on," he claimed, a statement later contradicted by surveillance footage that showed him observing the chaos he had partially orchestrated. D’Addieco, who was not present during the shooting, was seen arriving afterward and parking his car at a distance across the street, according to prosecutors, according to MassLive.
The BPHC officer and his police counterpart have now been released on their own recognizance after pleading not guilty. McDermott is facing charges that include witness intimidation and maintaining a gambling nuisance, while his associate D’Addieco is charged with withholding evidence. Francis Sacco, D’Addieco’s lawyer, told MassLive, his client “maintains his innocence and looks forward to his day in court.”
While the nightclub is currently closed, the legal focus is on these two officers, with their next court date set for January 7, 2025. The Boston Police Department and the Public Health Commission are conducting their own reviews pending internal investigations.
