MA Blogger Turtleboy Facing 2 New Charges: Reports

MASSACHUSETTS — Controversial Massachusetts blogger Turtleboy is facing two additional charges including a felony after a new indictment was filed ahead of his bail hearing Friday, according to multiple reports.

Turtleboy, whose real name is Aidan Timothy Kearney, is facing another charge of intimidation of a witness and disclosing contents of a wiretap, both of which "pertain to the same victim," WCVB reported, citing court documents.

Kearney, 42, turned himself in to police in December — two months after he was first arrested — to face new witness intimidation and assault and battery charges, according to multiple reports.

He was arrested in October on nine counts of witness intimidation of those involved in the prosecution of Karen Read, the Mansfield woman who has been charged in connection with the 2022 death of her police officer boyfriend John O'Keefe.

By mid-December, the number of charges for which Kearney has been indicted and pleaded not guilty to had jumped to 16, several outlets including Boston.com reported — then he received even more witness intimidation charges in addition to assault and battery charges for which the administrator of his Facebook page claims he was framed.

"Attention: Aidan has been framed for A&B," the administrator wrote in December. "He can prove his innocence, but he also currently has strict bail conditions. He has handed himself in to police and is on his way to Dedham District Court."

The assault charges are against a family or household member, according to Boston.com, which cites court records. According to a Norfolk special prosecutor, the alleged assault took place in December and the alleged victim is both a witness in the Read murder case and a "former lover of Kearney's," the Boston Herald reported.

Kearney's writings on the Turtleboy Daily News website have stirred controversy across New England. He uses the blog to proclaim a cover-up involving Read, saying she wasn't the one who hit O'Keefe during a 2022 blizzard, but that he was beaten to death.

Prosecutors said during an October hearing that Kearney used his website to post personal attacks on a state trooper, civilian witnesses, and their family and friends surrounding the Read case. Kearney detailed his campaign in dozens of blog posts on TB Daily News, discussing how he knew the locations of witnesses and where they lived.

In one case, Kearney held a rolling rally with a group of drivers that visited the home of a Canton woman and demanded she tell the truth about what happened to O'Keefe, according to Norfolk County prosecutor Kenneth Mello.

"He feels as if he should be allowed to use his First Amendment right to pursue this story," Kearney's attorney said.

The criminal case against Kearney is the latest twist in a local media career that is among the most notorious in state history. As operator of the Turtleboy media properties, Kearney has been accused of harassment and fomenting racism and has faced multiple lawsuits.

Former Worcester councilor Michael Gaffney sued Kearney for libel and lost in 2019, and last year Boston City Councilor Julia Mejia sued him for calling her a drug user. Turtleboy also published videos of sting operations that enticed men into meeting with underage people. One video led to the arrest of former Stow police chief Ralph Marino.

Kearney is scheduled to appear in Norfolk Superior Court Friday afternoon for a bail hearing in the case for which he was initially arrested in October.