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Gary Zerola, 49, was arraigned on Jan. 15 on charges of rape and breaking and entering with felony intent, according to the NY Post.
Zerola, a Boston defense attorney and former assistant district attorney in Essex and Suffolk counties, appeared in People’s national list of top single men in 2001 alongside “eye-candy” Matt Damon, Josh Hartnett, and Ben Affleck.
In his write up, People described Zerola as a foster care advocate who earned a dual degree in law and public administration from Suffolk University. Zerola said he grew up in the foster care system and stayed in more than a dozen homes. He founded the One for the Kids annual fundraiser in 1998.
People noted Zerola’s “hard start” when he quipped “Statistically speaking, I should be in debt or in jail because of the upbringing I had.” Zerola was also known to give out his personal phone number at foster care functions so that children in the system could contact him, People said.
Zerola was already out on bail for a 2016 rape allegation when the alleged assault took place on Jan. 12. He has pleaded not guilty.
Zerola is also accused of raping two other women in the 1990s and has been acquitted in separate rape and attempted rape cases in Massachusetts before, according to the Boston Globe.
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