Dorchester Man Arraigned for Dating App Armed Robberies

Boston, MA - A Dorchester man was arraigned Monday for a series of armed robberies allegedly arranged through a dating app and committed while wearing a GPS device that placed him near the crime scenes.

Rakeem Austin was charged with nine counts of armed robbery and slapped with a $75,000 bail Monday in Suffolk County District Court Monday. He was previously arraigned for six of the armed robberies, which took place in Dorchester late last fall.

According to Assistant District Attorney Greer Spatz, Austin arranged to meet the nine victims through a dating app, posing as women under the user names "Lizzy S" or "Candy B." When the victims arrived at the planned meetups, prosecutors alleged Austin pulled a handgun on them, stealing cash, wallets, cell phones and jewelry.

At the time, prosecutors allege, Austin was free on bail in connection with charges of breaking and entering. He was wearing a GPS monitor at the time of the dating app robberies, which place him in the area of those incidents, prosecutors allege.

He returns to court April 22.

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