A 46-year-old Nantucket man accused of sexually assaulting an 11-year-old girl over the course of several weeks this summer was arraigned this week on eleven counts, including multiple charges of aggravated rape of a child. James F. Russell entered not-guilty pleas and, after he was unable to post bail, was transported to the Barnstable House of Corrections while the case moves forward.
Russell was arraigned in Nantucket District Court on charges that include five counts of indecent assault and battery on a child under 14, four counts of aggravated rape of a child with at least a 10-year age difference, and two counts of aggravated rape of a child after certain previous convicted offenses, according to Nantucket Current. He was ordered to return to court on November 30 for a probable cause hearing, with the case likely headed to Nantucket Superior Court.
Police say the alleged assaults may have occurred between June 11 and July 2 of this year, while the girl was staying at Russell’s home. The outlet reports the alleged victim’s mother confirmed the girl stayed with Russell from June 10 to July 2, in a basement space with one bed and one bath. Russell and the girl reportedly knew each other from previously living in Wisconsin together, and the families had stayed in contact after Russell moved to Nantucket.
Girl Told Her Mother About a “Special iPad”
According to the police report cited in the outlet’s reporting, the alleged victim told her mother that Russell sexually assaulted her during her June visit to the island, and that he used a “special iPad” to photograph and record her while she was naked. A forensic interview was later conducted with the girl at the Safe Harbor Child Advocacy Center in Madison, Wisconsin, during which she said the assaults happened on eight different days.
During that interview, the girl also disclosed previous sexual assaults by Russell in Wisconsin and described Russell assaulting her on Nantucket and recording some of the acts. The girl said, “Some photos were taken in Wisconsin and some were taken in the Nantucket home on the basement bed,” per the account relayed in the police report.
The case reached Nantucket authorities after Nantucket Police Detective Amanda Schwenk was notified by Wisconsin Police Detective Danica Gordon of a possible sexual assault. Prosecutors said Wisconsin prosecutors anticipate filing their own charges against Russell, and noted that Russell had indicated to the alleged victim’s mother that he might move back to Wisconsin.
Prosecutors Sought $750,000 Bail; Judge Set Lower Amount
The Cape & Islands District Attorney’s Office requested $750,000 cash bail, along with conditions requiring Russell to stay away from and have no contact with the alleged victim, her family, and children under 14, and to wear a GPS monitoring device. Russell’s attorney, Rob Moriarty, requested $10,000 cash bail instead, arguing that Russell had no criminal record, had cooperated throughout the process, and was presumed innocent until proven guilty.
Judge John Julian set bail at $20,000 cash and $200,000 surety, and imposed the conditions requested by the Commonwealth. Russell was not able to post bail and was transported to the Barnstable House of Corrections.
Schools Say Russell Cleared Background Checks
Russell had volunteered at schools and other programs attended by children, and Nantucket Public Schools confirmed in a statement cited by Nantucket Current that an individual who volunteered in its schools has been charged with multiple criminal acts. The district said there is no information indicating Nantucket students were involved, and the superintendent said the individual had cleared all district background-check procedures.
The case lands amid a broader rise in reported child sexual-exploitation crimes across the region. Reports of such crimes across Cape Cod, the Islands, Bristol County and Plymouth County rose 46 percent in 2024, according to Cape and Islands NPR. The region’s children’s advocacy centers received 533 reports impacting 471 children that year, with 75 percent of reported cases involving children ages 13 to 17. The outlet also noted that children are increasingly being targeted online, including through enticement schemes and AI-generated deepfakes.
It is not the first time Nantucket has seen a case of this nature move through the courts. In 2012, a Nantucket teen, Kramer Johnson, then 19, was arraigned in Barnstable Superior Court on charges including rape of a child with force and indecent assault and battery on a child younger than 14, stemming from three assaults on the island the previous year, according to Cape Cod Times. Johnson was released on $5,000 bail carried over from his Nantucket District Court arraignment, with a pretrial hearing scheduled for that May.
Russell’s case remains in its early stages, with the probable cause hearing set for November 30. As with all defendants, Russell is considered innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.
