'Supa Mario' Arrested for Sex Trafficking in Greater Boston

BOSTON, MA – A Boston man known as "Supa Mario" has been charged with giving women drugs and trafficking them for sex in several greater Boston communities, including Newton, Waltham, Boston and Brookline, the attorney general's office said Wednesday.

Hendricks Mario Berdet, 31, who also goes by "Capo" and "Supa Capo," was arrested Tuesday night in Medford.

The attorney general's office began investigating Berdet in November after the case was referred by the Boston Police Department. Authorities allege Berdet supplied multiple women with drugs, including heroin and cocaine, in exchange for them engaging in sex for his own personal profit.

Berdet would allegedly post on websites known to advertise sexual services and bring the women to various homes and hotels in greater Boston to exchange sex for a fee, all of which he pocketed, the AG's office said. He also allegedly required the women to reach a certain quota each night – usually between $1,000 and $1,500 – and in some cases confiscated the women's ID or bank cards.

"We allege that this defendant preyed on vulnerable women, supplied them with addictive drugs and personally profited off of their sexual exploitation," Attorney General Maura Healey said in a statement. "As we work to combat the opioid epidemic that is plaguing our state, we are seeing more and more women with addiction issues being preyed upon for illegal purposes. These charges send a clear message that we will aggressively investigate and prosecute those accused of these egregious crimes."

Berdet is charged with six counts of Trafficking in Persons for Sexual Servitude, two counts of Distribution of a Class A Substance – heroin, and two counts of Distribution of a Class B Substance – cocaine.

He pleaded not guilty at his arraignment Wednesday. A judge set bail at $150,000 with the condition that he have no contact with the victims or witnesses and be monitored by GPS.

He is being held for 60 days after bail was revoked on a separate open drug case and is scheduled to next appear in court March 8.

Editor's Note: This story was written using information provided by the Massachusetts Attorney General's office. The individual charged is presumed innocent until proven guilty.

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