Dorchester man held Grindr hookup hostage until he paid his way out, DA charges

A Dorchester man was ordered held in lieu of $1,000 bail after his arraignment on kidnapping and unarmed-robbery charges related to a hookup he allegedly arranged via Grindr, the Suffolk County District Attorney's office reports.

According to the DA's office, Anthony Brimage, 28, connected with another man on the LGBTQ-focused app, and the man agreed to meet Brimage at his apartment on Neponset Avenue in Dorchester early on Friday:

Upon arrival, Brimage told the victim he needed to send him money if he wanted to have sex. The victim refused to send him any money and Brimage immediately cornered him and pinned him against the wall. The victim said Brimage became aggressive and yelled for the victim to send him $50 via Apple Pay. The victim ultimately sent $50 out of fear and began begging Brimage to let him leave.

Brimage then said "if you can send me $50, you must have money, so send me another $50." When the victim told him he did not have any more money, Brimage called his roommate into the bedroom. The victim sent another $50 via Apple Pay. The victim was ultimately allowed to leave. He refused to seek any medical treatment.

According to the DA's office, Boston police officers found the victim walking down Neponset Avenue shortly after 2 a.m. After hearing his story:

Officers went to speak to Brimage, who initially refused to open the door. Brimage told officers he and the victim had been communicating on Grindr for a few months and agreed to meet at his apartment. Brimage said after an hour, the victim randomly wanted to send him $50 for "weed and lunch." Brimage gave the victim his roommate's number to send the money due to not having his own Apple Pay account. Brimage said the victim wanted to engage in sexual intercourse since he sent him money but Brimage refused. The victim then sent him another $50 "just because" and they got into an argument which caused his roommate to check on them.

Officers then spoke to Brimage's roommate who said Brimage and the victim were together for about 25 minutes when he was called into the room to provide his cellphone number for Apple Pay transactions. The roommate then heard Brimage and the victim arguing and he advised the victim to leave. Once the victim left, Brimage began panicking and stated to him "I think he called the police."

The DA's office says officers confirmed two payments from the victim's phone, one at 1:49 a.m., the next at 1:57 a.m.

Brimage was arraigned Friday in Dorchester Municipal Court, the DA's office reports.

Innocent, etc.