On Friday, a professional NBA trainer was arrested in Rhode Island on a fugitive-from-justice charge stemming from an alleged incident of rape and drugging in Downtown Boston.
Boston Police Fugitive Unit officers pulled over Rob McClanaghan, 43, in East Greenwich, Rhode Island, without incident.
Warick police said McClanaghan spent the night at the police station and was then transferred to the Rhode Island correctional facility and held over the weekend. On Monday, he appeared in Rhode Island’s Third District Court but did not contest the extradition.
On Tuesday, McClanaghan appeared in front of a judge who set his bail at $30,000 and ordered him to have no contact with the victim.
Additionally, he must turn over his passport, be placed on house arrest before release and stay in Rhode Island except for legal visits and court appearances.
According to the complaint, on Friday, Nov. 4, the Boston Police Department’s sexual assault unit was called to speak with a victim in the emergency room of a nearby hospital.
The complaint alleges that McClanaghan met the victim on a dating app on Nov. 2, and the two agreed to meet in Providence, RI. The following day, they decided to meet again at a restaurant within a hotel, where they had a drink or two before heading to the victim’s room.
The woman claims that she blacked out after they entered her hotel room, only recalling McClanaghan trying to remove her belt. When she woke up, she said she was completely naked with “extensive bruising.”
In surveillance footage of the hotel bar, McClanaghan “is observed manipulating his front left pocket with his left hand. Seconds later, while staring at the victim’s drink, the suspect places his left hand over the victim’s drink and makes a sprinkling motion with his left hand consistent with how a substance would be placed into a drink.”
The woman is then shown in the video taking a sip of her drink without seeming to notice McClanaghan’s actions, according to the complaint.
Following the incident, McClanaghan is said to have texted the victim a picture showing him having sex with a woman who matched the victim.
Erin Murphy, chief of the Suffolk County Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault Unit, said in court, “She also noted that what disturbed her about the photo that the defendant sent to her was that the man in the photo had his hand pressing on an area of her back where she now displayed a large bruise.”
In the complaint, the woman indicated that she was unable or unwilling to consent to the activity depicted in the photo.
In McClanaghan’s defense, all interactions were consensual, said his attorney.
“There was also text messages from the complainant indicating a desire to see him again and engage with him again,” said Attorney Kelli Proges.
The DA’s Office highlighted that this is the first case in which they have prosecuted drugged rape.
“I think it will have a chilling effect on the perpetrators as it should be,” she said. “They should be put on notice given this arrest.”
A court date has been set for McClanaghan’s return to court on Jan. 30.
McClanaghan has previously worked with NBA stars like Kevin Durant, Stephen Curry, and others.
