Veteran Who Police Repeatedly Denied Charged With 2 Rapes

SWAMPSCOTT, MA — A Swampscott man charged with raping two women at gunpoint was held on $50,000 bail, the Suffolk County DA's Office said. Joseph Losano, 51, was charged with four counts of aggravated rape in the two separate attacks at his arraignment in Roxbury Municipal Court Wednesday morning.

Losano allegedly picked up two prostitutes near Newmarket Square and raped them in 2017. Both women said a man matching Losano's description and driving a white pickup truck consistent with Losano's picked up the girls up, drove them to an unknown location believed to be outside the city, and raped the women at gunpoint on a mattress in the bed of this truck. The women said they were both driven back to Boston, where one said she was assaulted.

He was arrested Tuesday by members of Boston Police Fugitive Apprehension Team as well as Peabody and Swampscott Police.

If Losano makes bail, he must wear a GPS monitor, stay out of Boston, and keep away from the alleged victims. Losano was not visible at his court appearance as prosecutors are asking any other possible victims to come forward.

The two alleged victims recently reported the assaults to Boston Police

Suffolk prosecutors are consolidating the cases under Chapter 265, Section 24A, of the Massachusetts General Laws, which says they can if the victim “has been conveyed from one county or judicial district into another.”

"No one should ever feel reluctant or afraid to disclose a sexual assault," Suffolk County District Attorney Conley said. "No matter who you are, no matter what you do for work, no matter where you’re from or where you live, you can count on our support, respect, and advocacy."

Losano is due back in court June 19.

Losano has enlisted in and served tours of duty with the Marines, National Guard, Army, Navy, and Air Force, according to Wicked Local. He attempted to become a reserve police officer in Swampscott, but the department rejected him due to a firearm incident that saw the police chief revoke his gun license. The department asked the state's Civil Service Commission to ban him from the list of possible reserve officers.

Losano appealed the decision, but lost. In his conclusion, Commissioner Donald Marquis said an investigation "depicts an individual [Losano] not in touch with reality."

Losano won a $40,000 federal lawsuit against the Swampscott Police Chief for violating his First Amendment rights by blocking his appointment as a reserve officer.

Massachusetts and New Hampshire Police also rejected Losano's applications due to violating a restraining order and a seemingly violent past. The Commission's review showed he once told a New Hampshire trooper that he got in many fights growing up, during which "people were severely hurt," and one in which he "might" have bitten a piece of someone's ear off.

The trooper said Losano had a cocky demeanor and smiled when he said "no one messed with me."

Photo by Mike Carraggi, Patch