Massachusetts

Winthrop Man Accused of Sexually Assaulting Child He Adopted From Colombia Last Year

Kiyoshi Yu, a 52-year-old man from Winthrop, Massachusetts, is accused of sexually assaulting one of the three boys he adopted last summer in Bogota, Colombia

The seal of the Suffolk County District Attorney
NBC10 Boston

A Massachusetts man is accused of sexually assaulting one of the three boys he adopted last year in Colombia.

The office of Suffolk County District Attorney Kevin Hayden announced Thursday that 52-year-old Kiyoshi Yu of Winthrop had been charged with assault and battery on a child under 14.

Prosecutors say Yu traveled last summer to Bogota to adopt three boys aged 8, 9 and 13.

"One of the boys told investigators that Yu repeatedly abused the boys in a Bogota hotel shortly after the adoption," the district attorney's office wrote in a news release. "The abuse continued when Yu returned with the boys to the United States."

He allegedly forced one of the children to touch him inappropriately in his Winthrop apartment, authorities said.

In a separate incident in August, police in Rhode Island found the children in a parked vehicle while Yu was inside a casino, according to the DA's office.

"There are many disturbing aspects of this case, and it certainly is not representative of the massive majority of adoptive parents who strive to present safe, loving environments for their children," Hayden said in a statement. "I thank the investigators for their sensitive work with these children, and certainly the children themselves for relaying the disturbing conduct of this individual."

Yu was ordered held on $2,500 bail and must surrender his passport and have no contact with the adopted boys or any child under 16, Hayden's office said. He is due back in the East Boston division of Boston Municipal Court for a pre-trial hearing on March 7. It was not immediately clear if he had an attorney.

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