Cambridge City Councilman Paul F. Toner, along with ten other men, was charged on March 21, 2025, with engaging in sexual conduct after allegedly purchasing sex from a high-end brothel network in Cambridge and Watertown. The charges, stemming from a recent hearing, are classified as misdemeanors, which typically do not result in prison time.
Toner was scheduled to attend a hearing but did not appear, and the Cambridge Police Department presented evidence from a December 2023 report, including text exchanges revealing multiple visits to the brothel throughout 2023. His attorney, Timothy R. Flaherty, did not advise Toner to resign, leaving that decision to him, but defended Toner’s character.
During the proceedings, Clerk Magistrate Sharon S. Casey ruled that the charges against Toner and the other clients could proceed. The councilman, a practical progressive on the council since 2022, has faced public scrutiny over his actions, leading to expressions of regret in a statement where he acknowledged the pain caused to those he cares about. The next scheduled hearing will reveal more about the case, with a total of 23 men indicted so far.
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