BOSTON — A Boston man has been sentenced to state prison for sexually abusing two young boys who were placed as foster children in his family’s home, Suffolk District Attorney Kevin Hayden said Tuesday.
Taryl Ford, 46, who lives in the city’s Dorchester neighborhood, was sentenced Monday to up to 40 years in state prison, Hayden said in a statement.
A jury convicted Ford on April 15 of four counts of aggravated rape, two counts of indecent assault and battery on a child under 14, and one count of disseminating obscene matter to a minor.
Judge Debra Squires-Lee sentenced Ford on Monday to 28 to 40 years in state prison with five years of probation to follow and ordered him to register with the state Sex Offender Registry Board, Hayden said.
Ford’s mother fostered at least 34 children from 2007 to 2018 at the family’s Glenarm Street home in Dorchester.
Ford lived in the home’s second unit and was an approved secondary foster care provider, prosecutors said. He moved freely between the units and would often watch the children on his own. He would also assist with homework, play with the children, and sometimes take them places.
The first victim testified in court that he was sexually abused by Ford at the home when he was 5 to 6 years old.
The second victim testified in court that he was sexually abused at the same home when he was 7 and 8 years old. Ford orally and anally raped him and showed the victim pornography.
A third foster child witnessed some of the abuse of victim two and was also shown pornography by Ford, prosecutors said.
During Monday’s sentencing hearing, the first victim described the lasting impacts of the abuse in an impact statement read by Assistant District Attorney Sarah Lelle.
“Because of what was done to me by an adult who knew better, I have experienced emotional setbacks that have followed me into my teenage years, affecting how I see myself, trust others, and feel safe,” the victim said in his statement.
“Instead of being able to fully enjoy my childhood, I have spent much of it feeling angry, hurt, and scared carrying things no child should have to carry,” he said.
The second victim, who was present in court, said, “It took years to realize that there was nothing to be ashamed of, that I didn’t do anything wrong, and that none of it was my fault.”
“Every day I was in that house, I felt like a stranger living in someone else’s world, and I never want anyone, child or not, to feel the way I felt or go through what I had to go through,” the second victim said. “I don’t feel like this case is just about me. I feel like it is about the other kids that the defendant hurt and all the kids the defendant could hurt if they were to ever be free again.”
The second victim’s mother described Ford as a “monster” in her statement to the court.
“Taryl is the monster that lives under the bed but never stays under the bed,” she said. “I had to help my son heal. I needed to make sure that he understands for the rest of his life that this was not his fault and he is the bravest kid I’ve ever met.”
The second victim’s father echoed her words.
“The Ford family especially Taryl Ford has been destroying families after families for years, ruining each and every family member in those families, damaging those members in a way that can’t be explained,” the second victim’s father told the court.
Investigators suspect there may be additional victims of Ford because of the number of children who lived in the Ford home, Hayden said.
The district attorney urges anyone who may have been victimized by Ford to contact the Boston Police Crimes Against Children Unit at 617-343-6183 or the Suffolk County Child Protection Unit at 617-619-4300.
“These courageous victims eloquently described the lasting impacts of this serial abuse on them,” Hayden said. “And, to their enormous credit, they also expressed their concern for other children who may have been hurt.”
“We hope anyone else who may have been abused by Taryl Ford will contact authorities. They do not have to bear this pain alone,” Hayden said.
While the victims and witnesses of any crime should call 911 in an emergency, there are additional resources available to report suspected crimes against children and for survivors of abuse to receive help.
In Suffolk County, Hayden said survivors of child abuse and exploitation and their non-offending caretakers can receive comprehensive services at the Children’s Advocacy Center of Suffolk County at 617-779-2146.
Anyone who believes that a child in Massachusetts may be the victim of abuse should call the DCF Child at Risk Hotline at 1-800-792-5200.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.
Download the FREE Boston 25 News app for breaking news alerts.
Follow Boston 25 News on Facebook and Twitter. | Watch Boston 25 News NOW
©2026 Cox Media Group
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/cmg/7QOJU3BNCJERBNKJC5LWTBYFLU.png)
