Fugitive Wanted in Child Trafficking Case Arrested on Nantucket and Held Without Bail
By: Laura Soukkavong
NANTUCKET, Mass. — A fugitive accused of trafficking minors in Brockton and elsewhere in Eastern Massachusetts was arrested on Nantucket and is being held without bail pending a dangerousness hearing. The U.S. Marshals Service identified him as Rigoberto Chavez-Regaldo, 40, and said a coordinated law enforcement operation took him into custody without incident.
Chavez-Regaldo was arrested during the morning hours of October 8, 2026. The U.S. Marshals Service’s District of Massachusetts announced the arrest Friday, describing an investigation that reached across Eastern Massachusetts before authorities apprehended him on the island.
The Plymouth County charges include two counts of sexual conduct for a fee and two counts of trafficking a person for sexual servitude. He also faces aggravated rape involving serious bodily injury, aggravated statutory rape of a child and rape of a child with force.
Additional charges include indecent assault and battery on a person over 14, selling or delivering liquor to a person under 21, and enticing a child under 16. The allegations concern criminal activity involving minors in Brockton and other parts of Eastern Massachusetts, according to the Marshals Service.
After his arrest, Chavez-Regaldo was arraigned in Brockton District Court. The Plymouth County District Attorney’s Office requested a dangerousness hearing, and he remains held without bail pending its outcome. The hearing is scheduled for Tuesday, October 13, 2026.
The operation involved the U.S. Marshals Service’s District of Massachusetts Fugitive Task Force, Brockton Police, the Massachusetts State Police Violent Fugitive Apprehension Section, the State Police Air Wing and Nantucket Police. The Marshals Service credited the Air Wing’s rapid response as critical to the safe and successful apprehension.
Authorities reported no incident during the arrest. The charges remain allegations, and Chavez-Regaldo is presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
