Man convicted for robbing disabled man at knifepoint near Back Bay station

A Suffolk Superior Court today sentenced Benjamin Josey, 59, to three to five years in state prison after a jury convicted him of armed robbery, assault and battery on a disabled person and stealing by confinement for an incident on Dartmouth Street on Aug. 24, 2017.

According to prosecutors, Josey went up to two men sitting outside a Dartmouth Street residence around 4:30 p.m. that day - one of them the victim, who has cerebral palsy, and the other the victim's relative, who is an amputee and who was in a wheelchair - and asked for money.

After the victim denied Josey’s repeated requests for money, Josey displayed what appeared to be the handle of a knife and stated that he intended to rob someone, putting the victim in fear for his own safety and that of his relative, [Assistant District Attorney David] Wittenberg proved. Josey then forced the victim to walk to a nearby ATM where the victim withdrew $60 under duress. Josey briefly grabbed the victim from behind during the transaction and left the area after the victim handed him the money.

The victim, 25, gave a statement before sentencing:

It’s hard for me to feel comfortable. I always have a constant reminder of what happened that day.

“It was important to all of us to stand up for the victim in this case, who was particularly vulnerable because of his disability,” Conley said. “Our Elders and Persons With Disabilities Unit specializes in cases like this one, and it has the resources to serve and support people with similar specialized needs. These cases are important, and the victims can count on us for help.”

Josey, homeless at the time of the Dartmouth Street attack, had been convicted of rape of a child in 1977 and aggravated rape in 1986, according to the state Sexual Offenders Registry Board.