Criminal charges tied to an allegedly illegal, unlicensed nightclub in a Jamaica Plain basement are staying put, at least for now. A Suffolk Superior Court judge last Wednesday refused to toss the case, keeping two men, a Boston police officer and a Boston Public Health Commission campus officer, facing counts connected to what prosecutors say was a months‑long after‑hours operation beneath a Centre Street storefront. Investigators say the hidden club was exposed only after a 2021 shooting outside 360B Centre St., and both defendants remain under indictment as the case moves toward a fall trial.
Judge James Lang denied the officers’ motions to dismiss, writing that “the evidence before the grand jury clearly established that both defendants attempted to mislead investigators regarding their involvement in the club’s operations,” according to MassLive. Lang also noted that once officers discovered the basement venue, the investigation split into two tracks, one focused on the shooting and another on the allegedly unlicensed club.
Prosecutors say Richard McDermott faces charges that include misleading police, seeking criminal‑record information under false pretenses and maintaining a gambling nuisance, while Luigi D’Addieco is accused of withholding evidence and maintaining a gambling nuisance, as reported by Boston.com. The indictments were returned in 2024 after prosecutors say surveillance footage, witness accounts and other evidence tied both men to the basement operation.
Defense attorneys urged the judge to throw the case out, arguing that interview statements and other material did not support the more serious charges. The court heard that McDermott’s comments did not alter how police responded and that D’Addieco was questioned mostly about the shooting itself, according to MassLive. Lang rejected those arguments and set a trial date of Sept. 28, 2026, with both defendants scheduled to return to court on Sept. 21.
How investigators say the club ran
Prosecutors contend the basement at 360B Centre Street functioned as an after‑hours nightlife spot, complete with cover charges, bottle service, hookahs and DJs, and that bouncers controlled the door and collected cash from patrons. Those details surfaced when officers responding to the July 10, 2021, shooting outside the storefront found signs of what they say was an ongoing, unlicensed club, according to reporting by the Boston Globe and other outlets.
Community reaction and internal reviews
Neighbors and local advocates have pressed officials on how an after‑hours venue could operate for months in a retail block without being shut down, and on whether oversight systems failed along the way. The case landed in the public spotlight after one outlet first covered the indictment in October 2024, and subsequent reporting and public records indicate both the Boston Police Department and the Boston Public Health Commission launched administrative inquiries, according to Boston.com.
Both defendants are due back in Suffolk Superior Court on Sept. 21 as the case moves toward the Sept. 28 trial date, and prosecutors say they intend to proceed based on the evidence already presented to the grand jury unless further pretrial relief is granted. The judge’s ruling keeps alive uncomfortable questions about off‑duty conduct and police accountability that have surrounded the investigation since the basement club was first uncovered.
