A home daycare service in Barnstable, Massachusetts, was shut down after a “Brazilian fugitive,” who was convicted as a child rapist, was found living at the home of the daycare.
According to Boston 25 News, Andrew Tiago Lucas, a “Brazilian fugitive,” was living at the home of Franciele Nunes Home Daycare, which was a licensed home daycare run by Franciele Nunes. The outlet noted that Lucas is also the father of Nunes’ two children.
An online description of the home daycare service says, “Franciele Nunes is a licensed child care home offering daycare programs located in Hyannis in Barnstable, MA.”
Boston 25 reported that Nunes’ daycare was licensed for three years prior to her operating license lapsing in March. According to the outlet, the closing of Nunes’ home daycare came after Lucas was arrested last October by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials.
In a November press release, Immigration and Customs Enforcement announced that Enforcement and Removal Operations Boston had “arrested a Brazilian fugitive wanted for rape of a 13-year-old child in his native country.”
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According to Boston 25 News, the Massachusetts Department of Early Education and Care visited the home daycare facility five times; however, the agency did not find the 36-year-old “Brazilian fugitive” living at the home. The outlet noted that the department claimed it was not aware of the child rapist’s connection to the daycare service home until four months after his arrest by Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
“Andre Tiago Lucas was convicted by the Sole Court of the District of Serro, Minas Gerais, Brazil, Dec. 6, 2016, of rape of a vulnerable person and sentenced to serve nine years and four months incarceration,” Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials said in November’s press release. “He then fled Brazil, eventually settling in Massachusetts before serving his criminal sentence.”
According to Boston 25 News, while the Massachusetts Department of Early Education and Care requires background checks for any individuals over the age of 15 who are living in or regularly visiting home daycares, the agency’s background checks do not consider immigration status as a factor or include criminal history records from other countries.
“The idea that someone has been documented, that a Brazilian national fled the country because they were convicted for rape of a 13-year-old and could come to Massachusetts and not only disappear into the fabric of Massachusetts, but actually be living in a home that was a daycare center for young people. That’s terrifying,” Worcester County Sheriff Lew Evangelidis told Boston 25 News.
