LOWELL — Two men who drove to a Lowell hotel expecting to have sex with a 15-year-old girl were arrested by undercover officers — then released the next morning by a Healey-appointed judge without posting a single dollar in bail.

Marciel Neto, 45, of Lowell, and David Passacantilli, 53, of Reading, each responded to a fake escort ad on Skip the Games and were told the person they'd be meeting was 15 years old, according to a police incident report first obtained by the Lowell Sun.

Both showed up anyway. Both had cash.

'im good bby'

Neto was texted by the undercover officer posing as the teenager: 'im a lil younger than my ad .. hope ur cool with that.'

His reply: 'im good bby.'

He drove to a hotel on Industrial Avenue East with $351 in cash in his pocket. After his arrest, he agreed to speak with investigators and told them he'd come to the hotel expecting sexual contact.

He required a Portuguese-speaking interpreter at his arraignment.

'Almost 16'

Passacantilli was also told the girl was 15 — 'almost 16' — and agreed to pay $100.

He asked whether the person was affiliated with law enforcement. She wasn't. But the officers in the next room were.

Passacantilli showed up with $883 in cash. He was taken into custody on the spot.

Both men were charged with enticing a child under 16, paying for sexual conduct with a child under 18, and attempting to commit a felony — specifically, rape of a child.

The sting was a joint operation between the Lowell Police Department's Special Investigations Section, the State Police High Risk Victim Unit, and the Chelmsford Police Department.

The arraignment

Both men appeared before Judge Cara L. Krysil in Courtroom 1 of Lowell District Court the following morning, according to court records reviewed by Mass Daily News.

She released both on their own recognizance.

No bail. No GPS monitor. No ankle bracelet.

The only conditions: stay away from minors. Neto was additionally ordered to surrender his passport.

The judge

Krysil was nominated to the bench by Governor Maura Healey in October 2024 and confirmed by the Governor's Council 7-0.

Before joining the bench, she served as Division Counsel for the DEA's New England Field Division, and previously led the Enterprise and Major Crimes Division in the state Attorney General's office. She has been on the bench since late 2024.

Their next court date is April 16 — nearly seven weeks away.

Both men are currently free.