Falmouth man pleads not guilty, charge of paying for sex with child

Zane Razzaq, Cape Cod Times

Fri, January 23, 2026 at 10:02 AM UTC

3 min read

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BARNSTABLE — A 24-year-old Romanian man living in Falmouth and accused of arranging a time and place to pay for sex with a minor pleaded not guilty in Barnstable Superior Court, as part of a trio of arrests announced in December by the Cape and Islands District Attorney.

Ionut Andrei Stamatin is charged with paying for sexual conduct with a child under 18, attempting to commit a crime, electronic enticement of child for commercial sexual activity, and enticing a child under 16, according to court records. He appeared in court on Wednesday, Jan. 21, for arraignment after a grand jury indicted him.

Stamatin is among three Cape Cod residents to recently face human trafficking-related charges after separate criminal investigations in Yarmouth, Falmouth and Barnstable, the District Attorney's office announced. District Attorney Robert Galibois established a human trafficking division in his office in 2023 to combat commercial sex and labor trafficking on the Cape and the Islands.

DA: Stamatin responded to ad by undercover trooper

Cape and Islands Assistant District Attorney Courtney Scalice said in court the charges stem from an undercover Massachusetts State Police investigation. Stamatin responded to an ad placed by an undercover trooper on a website for purchasing and selling sex, according to Scalice.

"In summary, the undercover trooper maintained that they were 15 years old and there was a subsequent conversation about the acts in which Mr. Stamatin and the undercover trooper would perform in exchange for a certain amount of money," said Scalice.

Stamatin then went to a Falmouth hotel after the undercover trooper gave that address, said Scalice, where he was arrested. State police found the money previously agreed upon for the sexual act on Stamatin, according to Scalice.

They also found a cell phone believed to have been used to text the undercover trooper. Officers sent a text message to the phone and saw the undercover phone number appear on the lock screen, said Scalice.

Defense: Stamatin in custody of ICE, 'defensible case'

Stamatin was originally scheduled for arraignment in Superior Court on Jan. 13.

James T. Morse, Stamatin's defense attorney, said in court on Jan. 21 that his client made all appearances in district court while the case was pending. But on Jan. 13, Stamatin was reported as taken into custody by U. S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The scheduled arraignment for Jan. 13 did not take place because he was not transported to court, according to court records.

"He was lawfully present up to his arrest on these charges," said Morse.

Stamatin is currently being held on an ICE detainer pending deportation hearings at the ICE wing at Plymouth County Correctional Facility. He was scheduled to be in front of an immigration judge on Thursday, Jan. 22.

"I recognize the allegations seem quite serious, however this is a defensible case," said Morse.

The ad in question indicated that the person was 19, said Morse.

"I would suggest that based on the facts recited by the government there's a clear indication that he did not wish to engage in statutory rape," said Morse, pointing to a "potential entrapment defense."

Morse asked for nominal bail, so Stamatin could receive credit while held on the federal detainer. Bail was set at $5,000 surety or $500 cash with prejudice. Conditions include no unsupervised contact with minors under 16, to surrender his passport, and to not apply for any other passports as this case is pending.

Stamatin's next court date is set for Feb. 25 for a pre-trial conference.

Zane Razzaq writes about housing and real estate. Reach her at zrazzaq@capecodonline.com. Follow her on X @zanerazz.

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This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: Falmouth man accused of paying for sexual conduct with child arraigned

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