Hull Bishop Who Blessed Gov. Baker Arrested In Prostitution Sting

BOSTON, MA — A Bishop at a church in Dorchester is facing accusations that he agreed to pay for sexual activity though an online advertisement.

Bishop Archie Livingston Foxworth, senior pastor at the Grace Church of All Nations in Dorchester, was arrested Tuesday and charged with sex for a fee. The 68-year-old from Hull was arraigned Wednesday in Boston Municipal Court, according to the Suffolk County District Attorney's office.

The Suffolk County District Attorney's office allege that Foxworth and nine other men responded to an online advertisement posted by detectives assigned to the Boston Police Human Trafficking Unit and negotiated sexual conduct in exchange for money. The men were placed under arrest at the location where they had agreed to meet the undercover detectives.

In 2013, Foxworth gave Gov. Charlie Baker and his wife a blessing during a church service, shortly after he was elected.

“Governor Baker is saddened by this news and is confident the courts will examine the facts and reach an appropriate decision,” said Gov. Baker’s communications director Lizzy Guyton in a statement to multiple media outlets. “The Baker-Polito Administration has made combating human trafficking a priority by working across state government to enact anti-trafficking policies and proposing legislation to give law enforcement more tools to crack down on trafficking related crimes.

The charge comes with a possible sentence of up to two and a half years in a house of corrections and a fine of $1,000-$5,000.

Foxworth is due back in court in July.

William Marchant, 54, of Norwood, was also arrested. He is the chief financial officer of the Massachusetts Trial Court.

Below are the other men who were arrested:

• Murat Inamli, 50, of Brookline
• Zian Jiang, 20, of Boston
• Eswin Esteban, 39, of Chelsea
• James Rose, 59, of Boston
• Thomas Holt, 41, of Belmont
• Nikunk B. Patel, 26, of Revere

Image via Suffolk County District Attorney's office.