Wellfleet man pleads not guilty to 19 charges of rape of child
Editor's note: A quote by attorney Kyle Wibby was corrected on May 9, 2024.
Mario Gerardi of Wellfleet appeared before Barnstable Superior Court Judge Mark Gildea on Monday to answer to charges of 19 counts of rape of a child with force. A grand jury returned an indictment against Gerardi on the 19 counts on March 27, according to comments in court.
Gerardi pleaded not guilty to all charges.
The charges stem from incidents alleged to have happened 20 years ago when Gerardi was the boss of the individual who at the time was 14 years old, according to comments made in court. The two worked at a restaurant in Yarmouth.
Prosecutor Vanessa Madge, chief of the child abuse and human trafficking unit for the Cape & Islands District Attorney’s office, said in court Monday that Gerardi first began to allegedly assault the individual by kissing her. His alleged assaults progressed to rape, and the abuse continued for the six to seven months she worked at the restaurant, Madge said. The abuse occurred at the restaurant, at an apartment upstairs, at the alleged victim’s house and at a parking lot in Brewster, Madge said.
"The abuse was pervasive. It happened when she was very young. And the details of the abuse are quite graphic,” said Madge. “That's the basis for the commonwealth’s request as well as potential penalties on these 19 indictments.”
Madge asked for $20,000 cash bail, an order to stay away from the alleged victim, no contact, and a GPS.
The individual did not file police reports 20 years ago.
Gerardi reached out to the person in 2010 on Facebook and again last fall, according to Madge.
Defense attorney Kyle Wibby said Gerardi has strong family ties on the Cape, lives in Wellfleet where he provides care for his mother-in-law. Gerardi has worked at restaurants, but his lack of employment and income, reliance on public food benefits and his attendance at all previous court appearances did not necessitate bail, Wibby said.
“He has no criminal record,” Wibby said, adding that the case was shifting with additional allegations.
Madge asked the judge to allow the individual making the allegations to read a statement but he declined, saying, “That’s generally not the way it works.”
Because the defendant has no criminal record, has appeared at Barnstable and Orleans courts, and the fact that there was no request for a dangerousness hearing, Gildea released him on personal recognizance with an order to stay away from the victim.
The judge called the allegations serious, but with the extended time since they occurred, he declined to order a GPS for Gerardi.
A pretrial hearing is scheduled for June 20 at Barnstable Superior Court.
“My client maintains his innocence and looks forward to his day in court,” Wibby said when asked for a comment.
Denise Coffey writes about business, tourism and issues impacting the Cape’s residents and visitors. Contact her at dcoffey@capecodonline.com .
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This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: Wellfleet man faces rape of child charges from 20 years ago
