Rapist gets decade imprisonment, no contact with minors order

A mentally ill man with a sexual addiction was sentenced Friday, June 4 to 10 years imprisonment, 35 years of probation, and a stay away order from minors and his now 22 year old victim for an attack at a Connecticut YMCA last year. 26 year old Raymond Warren plead guilty to 1st degree sexual assault for an attack that occurred when he and his victim were in the same YMCA mental health program.

Warren invited the girl his room to watch television and listen to music in August 2009, police said. When the woman came into the room, Warren requested sex from her and the woman refused and tried to leave, court documents detailed.

He then grabbed her, and raped her, the warrant stated. She screamed and tried to fight him off but he did not stop. When the incident concluded, the woman fled to the Susan B. Anthony Project and Warren was arrested. He admitted to police the crime and said he did not understand the woman at the time and that he was battling a sexual addiction.

Judge James P. Ginocchio said just before the sentencing, “It was a vicious sexual assault… the victim was trying to get away. It happened repeatedly, it was very serious offense...He’s big, he’s strong, he overpowered this victim. By his own admissions, he’s a very dangerous person. Based on the facts here, in this case, the sentence he’s facing is fair.”

Yale bans professor/undergraduate sex on campus

Yale professors won't be able to have sex with any undergraduate students on campus anymore. The policy, floated since 1983 by Yale Deputy Provost Charles Long, prohibits professors from any romantic relationship with any undergraduate student, not just those with students under their “direct pedagogical or supervisory responsibilities.”

The previous policy is still in place regarding professional/ graduate student and graduate/undergraduate relationships. Yale professionals, who thought such a policy was already in place, were consulted and gave positive feedback.

Such a policy was floated in the past, but nixed due to women students feeling that it would be paternalistic. Yale wanted one policy to cover all relationships. The policy now says undergraduates “are particularly vulnerable to the unequal institutional power inherent in the teacher-student relationship and the potential for coercion, because of their age and relative lack of maturity.”

Bartender sentenced to probation, sex offender treatment for following, groping customer

On Wednesday, February 17, Norwalk Superior Court Judge Bruce Hudock sentenced a former South Norwalk, CT bartender to a suspended 2 year sentence and three years probation for following a female customer home and forcibly touching and groping her breasts on October 28, 2008. The man stopped his assault only after the victim began to cry.

John Flavin, a 46-year-old former Barcelona Restaurant and Wine Bar, 63 North Main St., received a suspended jail sentence of two years and three years of probation. The sentence was approved by the victim, according to the prosecuting attorney.

At court on Wednesday, the victim detailed the effect that the incident had on her life, stating that she experiences anxiety attacks and persistant nightmares.

Judge Hudock admonished Flavin, telling him "The fact is, Mr. Flavin, that you have traumatized this young woman to the point that you have ... traumatically changed her life. There is little doubt in my mind that it will take a long time for her to deal with the consequences of your actions."

Just as the criminal act changed the victim's life, the sex offender treatment Flavin was sentenced to was meant to do the same to Flavin, according to Judge Hudock. "Just as you have changed the life of the victim, the sex offender treatment will change your life dramatically."

New Britain, CT woman files restraining order 8 days before murder, allegedly by husband

A Connecticut mother of 3's restraining order, dated January 27,  paints a grim picture of events leading up to her February 4 death, allegedly by her husband. In it, 30 year old Dia Palafox made allegations against her husband on about a year, 32 year old Juan Palafox, saying that he threatened to kill her and take her kids to Mexico.

The victim's mother found her daughter on the floor of the younger couple's New Britain home. The children, 6, 5 and 2, werein the house but unaware of what had happened. The Connecticut Medical Examiner's Office ruled Dia Palafox's death a murder by multiple stab wounds.

The restraining order filed last week paints grim a picture of the couple's last month together, which, according to court documents, was colored by physical and verbal abuse.

"My husband was drinking. He punched me in the face. Took me by the hair and hit my head twice on the bathtub. He also grabbed scissors and threatened to kill me," Dia Palafox wrote of the incidents that unfolded on Jan. 16.

The abuse also was sexual, she writes. Juan Palafox "forced himself on me for sex. I said 'no' numerous times," Dia wrote of an attack on Jan. 1. "He said I'm his wife and it's not rape."

She also went to a friend's house more than once in January, in fear of her life. During one of those trips, Juan showed up yelling at her to "get out of the car or he will hurt me," Dia wrote. "The children witnessed this."

On the last date listed in court papers, Jan. 27, Dia describes coming home from work and being met with verbal accusations that she was having an affair. A friend she was speaking with over the phone called police.

Throughout their last few weeks together, Juan harassed Dia "on a daily basis," she wrote, "stating that he will take my kids to Mexico and I will never see them again."

Juan Palafox was pulled over in North Carolina for speeding, and is on his way to being extradited back to Connecticut. This was not the first time that he had been violent towards his victims. in 2002, his pregnant 23 year old girlfriend was threatened with a knife, though the records surrounding the case are sealed.
 
The Hartford Courant has more coverage about DV, including two women's experiences with teen dating violence.

Connecticut drama teacher pleads guilty to sex with 17, 18 year old students

A Connecticut man who was a high school teacher pleaded guilty to two counts of 2nd degree sexual assault for entering into sexual relationships with two of his students, one 17 and the other 18. The relationships lasted from spring of 2008 to fall of 2008, according to prosecutors.

Though 16 is Connecticut's age of consent in most situations, teacher student sex is considered to be sexual assault even if the student is over 16 (or for that matter, 18). Russell Andrews, a 34 year old Lebanon, CT resident, plead guilty Wednesday, September 10, in New London Superior Court during a scheduled court appearance.

Andrews, the former chorus and drama club director, was arrested in the wake of a police investigation started in December after rumors started circulating around [Montville High School] that he was in a relationship with a 17-year-old student.

Andrews and the student engaged in consensual sex in the school auditorium, police said.

Further investigation uncovered a second victim, another former student, who admitted having sex with Andrews on numerous occasions during her senior year at the school. Andrews claims he did not have sex with the student until she was 18.

State prosecutor John Gravalec-Pannone will recommend a sentence of 14 years in prison, suspended after 7 years, and 20 years probation. The plea agreement meant that the 6 counts of 2nd degree sexual assault Andrews faced is now only two. Andrews must spend nine months in prison because that's the minimum mandatory sentence for 2nd degree sexual assault in Connecticut. Judge Susan B. Handy will preside over Andrews' sentencing, scheduled for November 10.

Police officer pretends to be twin - accused of rape by force and fraud

Officer Jared Rohrig of the Orange, CT police department was charged with rape after allegedly tricking a woman who had a sexual relationship with his twin brother Joe into having sex. The woman found out it was her "boyfriend's" brother after she noticed that a tattoo on her "lover's" butt was missing from the man she was having sex with.

Rohrig, 25, of Flax Mill Lane, has been on paid administrative leave from his job since July 23, pending the outcome of an internal investigation, said Orange Police Chief Robert Gagne.

The unnamed woman told police July 22 that she was sexually assaulted July 19 at the Rohrig home, where she went to meet Joe Rohrig, Jared's identical twin. The woman had been having a sexual relationship with Joe Rohrig since March, and on July 19 she talked on the phone with someone she believed was him and agreed to meet at his house, according to a search warrant.
When she arrived, she got into the hot tub with the Rohrig brother she believed was Joe, began kissing him and agreed to go to an upstairs bedroom with him.

It was then that she had noticed that the cowboy tattoo on Joe's left buttocks were missing. According to the warrant, the woman "immediately began to cry and asked him where his tattoo went. The male replied that he had never had a tattoo and told her that she must have hooked up with his brother who had a tattoo. The female victim realized at this point that this was not the person that she had previously had sexual relations with."

After she tried to leave the bedroom, Jared threw her back on, and "grabbed her arms and threw her on the bed, where she continued to cry," while Jared continued to have sex with her.

When the woman told Jared Rohrig to get off her, he allegedly put a pillow over her face, and while it did not prevent her from breathing, she felt "scared and claustrophobic," according to the warrant.

Her attempts to push him off were unsuccessful "because he was too strong and she gave up," the warrant states. Later, the man -- still claiming to be Joe Rohrig -- drove the woman home in Jared Rohrig's pickup truck, but could not find the way, even though Joe had previously visited there several times, she told police.

"The female victim looked at the male and asked, 'When did you think I was going to find out? When I realized you didn't have a tattoo? When we didn't use Joe's car to drive home? Or when you didn't know how to get to my house because you've never been there?"

Jared claimed to have said his brother, the woman's "boyfriend," "told me to go for it." The victim recieved a text message from Joe's phone stating "I want to apologize for what my brother did last night. I had no idea what was going on until this morning."

A graduate of Jonathan Law High School, Rohrig is the son of Joanne Rohrig, a Republican member of the Board of Education, and the family owns Lasses Restaurant and catering in Milford.

A separate investigation into anonymous allegations that adults served alcohol to minors at a July 12 graduation party at the Rohrig residence has determined those charges to be "unfounded," said Milford Police Chief Keith Mello.

There was no evidence substantiating the claims, Mello said, adding that investigation showed "the family went to significant steps" to avoid giving minors access to alcohol at the party.

According to Gagne, Jared Rohrig is still in the 18 month probationary period given to all new police officers, having been hired July 11, 2008. He was released on $50,000 bond Friday, August 21, charged with 1st degree sexual assault and criminal impersonation. His preliminary hearing will be September 8 in Milford Superior Court.

Connecticut politician charged with attacking woman - she marries him 4 days later!

An Ansonia, CT, former politician was charged with second-degree assault, first-degree unlawful restraint and first-degree reckless endangerment after allegedly attacking his then fiancee while masked on July 1. Amazingly, four days after the incident, the victim went ahead and married her attacker.

Keith Maynard, 42, was charged with breaking into his home on Cook St. on July 1, at 11:15 AM and attacking Ida Marie Lucarelli after she came home from working out at the gym. According to Lucarelli, the attacker was hiding behind the door and wearing a bandanna. The attacker grabbed Lucarelli and flipped her to the ground, and started trying to stuff a pillow in her mouth. Lucarelli fought back, and the attacker started hitting her with a bat. she screamed and the attacker fled. Lucarelli was taken to the hospital for hospitalization. Wounds received included abrasions on her cheek, temple, and upper chest. Her right forearm was bruised.

Maynard initially denied any involvement in the attack and claimed he was working for the state Department of Transportation in Norwalk at the time, the chief said. A motive for the attack is unclear, [Ansonia Police Chief Kevin Hale] said.

"I've worked with Keith Maynard for many years, while he was on the board, in matters of importance to neighborhoods, both in his ward and throughout the city. and that's why this is a sad day," said Hale. "Nevertheless, we went where the facts took us."Domestic violence is a top priority for this police department. We take these matters very seriously," he added.

Maynard was arraigned Thursday, August 20, and released on $50,000 bail. His victim attended the arraignment, and he was ordered to stay away from the victim's home and turn over any firearms he had.

Maynard represented the 4th ward of Ansonia, and according to Aldermanic President Steve Blume, "came as a shock. it's also very saddening because of what that poor woman went through. I'm kind of speechless." He was seeking November re-election as a Democrat, and served on various committees, including Public Works and Economic Development. Maynard still worked for the Connecticut Department Of Transportation.

Connecticut men get three years for gang rape of woman

The last of 4 Connecticut men who took part in the gang rape of a 24 year old New Canaan woman was sentenced to 3 years in prison in Superior Court on Wednesday, August 12. Wilkens Placide, 26, of Norwalk, CT, pled guilty to 3rd degree sexual assault, 1st degree unlawful restraint, and battery on a peace officer for an incident which happened July 30, 2007. Placide and a 2nd defendant, Catragne Moresca, 28 and of Stamford, pled no contest under the Alford doctrine March 19 of this year after jurors were picked in their joint trial. two other defendants pled no contest earlier.

Placide, Moresca and the two other defendants -- Cliff Cenelien and Carl Colas, both 21 and from Stamford -- were accused of taking part in a gang rape of the victim during a night of drug use and partying. The incident began July 30, 2007, and took place over a span of 14 hours in three different houses in Stamford and Norwalk.

Cenelien and Colas each pleaded guilty to unlawful restraint under the Alford Doctrine in June 2008 and agreed to serve two years of a five-year prison sentence, followed by five years of probation.

Darnell Crosland, Placide's attorney, said his client and Moresca pled no contest due to racial factors. "They might look at the victim as a white girl from New Canaan and these Haitian men she accused. It was too much of a risk." The defendants said that the sexual encounter was consensual, but the victim, on probation for drug use, wanted an excuse to escape possible revocation.

Connecticut teacher's aide sentenced to 9 months in prison for molesting 18 year old

Former New Britain High School paraprofessional Theodore Morris was sentenced to 5 years in prison, suspended after 9 months, after pleading guilty to 1st degree unlawful restraint. The charge and conviction stem from inappropriate touching and photography of a then 18 year old student on school grounds.

The victim, who attended the sentencing but did not speak on her behalf, graduated from a different high school, and her family is planning to sue the New Britain Board of Education in the next few months. Senior Assistant State’s Attorney Debra Collins read the victim impact statement, which read in part,

“My trust against people has been limited and my self-esteem has lowered a lot. There were times I didn’t want to look in the mirror because I was so disgusted with everything.”

Morris’ attorney Martin Rizzi argued that an expert from the Institute of Living determined his client wasn’t wholly responsible because he was improperly trained by the school system on how to deal with students. However Collins said she believed in a zero-tolerance policy when it comes to inappropriate behavior on the part of school staff.

“There should be no touching between a teacher and a student and there should be no requirement of that being taught that,” said Collins, who has previously prosecuted cases involving illicit teacher and student relationships.

New Britain Superior Court Judge Joan K. Alexander ordered the 53 year old Morris to undergo 5 years of sex offender probation, which requires that Morris stay well away from places that children congregate, including schools. Judge Alexander did not require a listing on the Connecticut Sex Offender Registry.

Woman recieves $200k damage award for victimization from child porn consumer

A now 19 year old victim of child porn has recieved the 1st ever award of its kind, a $200,000 restitution order against a Stonington, CT man who downloaded four images of her abuse, but did not create the child sexual abuse pictures. Judge Warren W. Eginton issued the order in a Bridgeport, CT federal courtroom this morning. The damages are split up as follows - $150,000 to the woman herself for medical and counseling expenses, $30,000 for legal fees and over $15,500 experts, including one who testitied that being a child porn victim has inflicted half a million dollars in future counseling costs.

[The] victim hired a lawyer to file a claim against [Alan]Hesketh. She told prosecutors she was 8 and 9 years old when she was subjected to sexual abuse by a relative who photographed her at the direction of a pedophile in another state. The woman claims those images have been circulated by "innumerable collectors of child pornography," including Hesketh, who downloaded four of the photographs. She submitted a damage claim to the U.S. Probation Department that seeks money for medical care, lost income, lost wages and future expenses. The claim is not available in the court file.

The victim's lawyer, James Marsh was hired by the woman and her mother just after the exploitation. He said that the people involved in trading child pornography do just as much damage as the people who create it.

”This notion that somehow we can excuse the defendant because there is no sexual contact is an affront to the victim,” Marsh said.

Prosecutors argued that the woman, whose sexual abuse photos have made themselves at home in child porn collectors' hands, should be compensated for "a decade of insult, injury, and enbarassment." Defense attorney Jonathan Einhorn stated that such an award would be unprecedented and substantially higher than the $50,000 average damages awarded to child porn victims from the producers.

Alan Hesketh, 62, an ex-vice president for Pfizer, was sentenced to 6 1/2 years in prison for child porn posession by Judge Eginton in November 2008 after admitting to possessing almost 2000 images. As a British national, Hesketh will be deported back to the UK when he is released from prison. The NCMEC identified two dozen kids as known victims of child sexual abuse.

Hesketh's attorney, Jonathan Einhorn, announced that he would appeal the verdict. Judge Eginton suggested that Hesketh could meet restitution by selling one of his many properties, an $834,000 mansion in Stonington, but stated that due to the economy, the award could be distributed over a period of time.

"Restitution is not necessarily mandatory in all circumstances," Einhorn maintains.

But [Assistant US Attorneys Deborah] Slater and [Krishna]Patel claim that federal law makes restitution mandatory for all offenses of sexual exploitation and other abuses of children.

They said the losses could include payment for physical, psychiatric or psychological services; physical and occupational therapy or rehabilitation; transportation; temporary housing; lost income; and attorney fees.

Jeffery Meyer, a former federal prosecutor, stated that damages for child porn collectors would be another tool in prosecutors and judges' hands besides longer sentences.

"We already see judges imposing long sentences," he said. Paying restitution would be "one more substantial deterrent to people who get involved in child pornography."

While Einhorn fears that the precedent setting decision would open an avenue for claims for others victimized in that way, child and victim's advocates hope that this leads to more claims by known child porn victims.

"If that's what happens, that's what happens," said Cindy Robinson, a lawyer with Tremont & Sheldon who represents people abused by Catholic priests. "These children suffer immeasurable damage."

"I hope it's true," said Ernie Allen, president of the National Center for Exploited and Missing Children in Alexandria, Va., who identified the girl's images for prosecutors. "I hope it spreads like wildfire. I hope it sends a message to those victimized that they can get help ... and creates kind of a deterrent effect that makes those think twice before downloading these images. I applaud the vision of this federal judge. I hope it is emulated."

Connecticut woman pleads guilty to poisoning husband; gets 15 years in prison

(Original Post 9-14-08)
A wife plead guilty Friday to poisoning her husband with antifreeze, then hiring a hitman to try and kill him plead guilty to attempted murder, conspiracy to commit murder, and inciting injury to a person. Jennifer Ratti, 28, from Coventry, CT plead in Judge Terence A. Sullivan's courtroom.

She was first arrested in April 2007, after her husband, Joshua Ratti, told Coventry police that he feared his wife was poisoning him.Joshua Ratti had been approached by one of his wife’s co-workers, who told him that Jennifer had been talking about killing him, Vernon State’s Attorney Matthew Gedansky said Friday.

Jillian M. O’Connor, 28 was approached in York Correctional Institution by Jennifer, which houses both prisoners convicted of crimes as well as those accused of them. O'Connor faces charges related to this case.

Joshua Ratti spoke during Friday’s proceedings in Vernon Superior Court, saying he had discovered that his wife was having an affair and had asked for a divorce. She then began to lace his sandwiches with rat poison and put antifreeze into beverages that she served him, he said.After approaching police, Joshua Ratti was taken to a hospital, where the determination was made that he had been poisoned, according to a police affidavit.

On March 30, 2007, Joshua Ratti called Coventry police and asked for a drug test, prosecutor Matthew Gedansky told the court. Ratti told police he hadn't been feeling well and thought his wife might be trying to poison him.

He ended up at the University of Connecticut Health Center, where ethylene glycol — an ingredient of antifreeze — was found in his system, Gedansky said. He suffered from renal failure, his mother later told the court. Although Jennifer Ratti initially denied involvement in her husband's illness, she eventually turned over containers of antifreeze and ant and roach killer, Gedansky said.

He said he has suffered from sleeplessness, nervousness, and a loss of quality of life since the incident. Because his wife tried to kill him multiple times, Joshua Ratti said, he fears for his life.

"Please accept this sentence, so I can try to get on with my life...I no longer feel safe. I don’t want to live in fear anymore because of what she did.”

A criminal restraining order prohibits contact between the victim and the defendant. The probable sentence will be 10 years in prison followed by 5 years of probation.

While Mr. Ratti found out that his wife could not be trusted, he had the support of his mother Deborah at the hearing, who told the court about more effects.

"He sleeps with a pistol at his bedside. He has been so tired from lack of sleep, she said, he twice dozed at the wheel and was involved in car accidents. Please enable my son to have a safe life back."

(Update 11-15-08) Judge Terence A. Sullivan rejected the plea deal stating that 10 years wasn't enough for the severity of the crime against Joshua Ratti. "I can't accept the sentence. It simply is not adequate to reflect the nature and the seriousness of the crimes. I've gone through this pre-sentence investigation report diligently. Unfortunately, each time that I read it, it doesn't get any better. It is a very striking description of what can only be described as a cold-blooded attempt to commit a murder."

The report, which is not a public document, indicates that the 28-year-old Ratti, a former Coventry resident, is "not remorseful" and "doesn't seem to care about what she's done," Ratti's public defender, Lisa Bennett, said. Bennett disagreed with the writer's conclusion, telling the judge that Ratti does understand the severity of what she has done. "She's absolutely remorseful for the harm she's done," Bennett said.

Jennifer Ratti said, "I want you to know how sorry I am. I wish I could take back what I did to you," but Judge Sullivan ordered Bennett and Tolland State's Attorney Matthew C. Gedansky to come back December 5, for either a longer sentence under a plea, or a trial if the plea is thrown out.

(Update 12-26-08) Jennifer Ratti was sentenced to 15 years in prison on December 5, and accepted the revised plea agreement even though it will cost her an extra 5 years in prison.

Connecticut man sentenced to 30 years for stabbing wife to death

Superior Court Judge George Thim sentenced a Bridgeport, CT man to 30 years in prison for 1st degree manslaughter for stabbing his wife to death. 41 year old Jose Alves pleaded guilty to charges of 1st degree manslaughter and 1st degree assault just before going to trial.

"She was the first love of my life and it wasn't my intention to do this," Alves told Thim, before Thim sentenced him and noted the brutal nature of the crime.

Alves is accused of fatally stabbing his wife, Nelita Nacif, 42, in their Beers Street apartment on March 13, 2007.

According to Senior Assistant State's Attorney Margaret Kelley, the husband and wife became embroiled in an argument because Alves believed his wife was cheating on him.
Kelley said Alves then stabbed his wife with an assortment of kitchen knives and even a barbecue fork. She said Nacif suffered between 45 and 50 stab wounds.

He showered while his wife was dying on the kitchen floor, covered in a pool of blood. Neighbors who heard arguing called police, who had to break down the door of their apartment to get to the victim.

Husband shoots out estranged wife's car's windshield after aborted sexual encounter

Donald H. Hiller, 47, was arraigned for the attempted rape and kidnapping of his 40 year old wife Mary on Tuesday, August 26. Mary Hiller, estranged and pregnant, of Torrington, CT, told authorities she was lured to her husband’s house the previous day when he faked a suicide attempt in Winsted, CT.

Hiller told police her husband, who appeared to be intoxicated, demanded sex. She used the bathroom and emerged to find him holding a gun he identified as a .44 magnum."I was never more scared in my life," she told police. "Don turned toward my vehicle and the gun went off. The bullet struck my windshield. I screamed."Police found a bullet hole in the windshield of Mary Hiller's 2002 Ford Escape, with corresponding holes in the seats and tailgate.

After the abuser asked her to strip, she did, then backed out of the sexual encounter. "I told him 'no,' and started to get dressed,” then scratched him in the face and punched him in the groin. She called 911 from the bedroom. When the call was disconnected, she fled to the car, where she waited for police, who arrested her naked husband – and attacker.

The couple is going through divorce mediation, according to statements made by Mary Hiller. She told police she is seven weeks pregnant and served her husband with divorce papers in July after a tumultuous six-year relationship.Civil court records posted online do not include a divorce case.

Donald Hiller's pickup truck contained a .40 caliber handgun, but a search of his house included no other weapons finds. He is being held on $250,000 bond on attempted sexual assault of a spouse, 1st degree criminal mischief, and 1st degree reckless endangerment, among other charges.

"Boyfriend" charged with physically assaulting woman - sex assault charges next

Michael Patnode, 46, was arrested for allegedly beating and raping his girlfriend. This is the second time that police arrested him for assault. According to police, the 1st arrest took place after a May incident where Patnode took her clothes, dragged her down stairs and slammed her head against concrete. He was found guilty of unlawful restraint for that incident and received probation on July 9.

State police found the 45-year-old woman walking north on Route 61 north of Route 6 around 4 a.m. She told police she and Patnode were drinking earlier and smoking crack cocaine at her Hickory Lane home. Patnode, formerly of Perry's Cove, Fla., came to Bethlehem in April to stay with the woman, she said.

When she told Patnode she wanted to break up with him he "threw her around the house", according to a police report. She got in his truck with him because she was afraid he would hurt her, she told police.Patnode drove down Route 61, turned onto Route 6 and took the first turn down a dirt road to a field, according to the warrant. After Patnode reportedly sexually assaulted the woman, he tried to run her over while she was laying in the field, police said. The victim told police she threw a Schaffer beer can in the grass to prove she was in the field.

Bantam Superior Court Judge Paul Matasavage set a $75,000 bond after Patnode plead not guilty to 3rd degree assault, 2nd degree unlawful restraint, and disorderly conduct.

"He does deny those allegations and denies any alleged threat made to the victim," Patnode's attorney Paul Summers said during the arraignment hearing.

More assault charges are expected after Western District Major Crime Squad complete their investigation in the field where the victim allegedly was raped and where Patnode tried to run over her with his car. Prior convictions include 3 DUI’s, patronizing a prostitute, 3rd degree burglary, and criminal trespass.

Darien, CT probationary firefighter convicted of sex assault at headquarters

(Original Post 6-24-08)
Marcus Velez, 18, of Darien, CT, pleaded guilty to 3rd degree sexual assault after admitting raping a 18 year old woman at the Stamford, CT fire department headquarters Thursday, June 19. He will serve 15 days in jail and spared himself a jury trial with a possible 1st degree sexual assault charge.

Velez was accused of forcing the 18-year-old victim to perform oral sex in January 2007, and admitted to the details in court. He was 17 at the time of the incident.
Assistant State's Attorney Maureen Ornousky said the victim and her mother wanted to avoid a trial and believe the outcome was fair. Velez and the victim previously had been friends, she said.

"She felt it was important that he get some punishment and that he take responsibility," Ornousky said.

Velez will formally be sentenced to a 5 year suspended prison sentence followed by 10 years of probation on August 21.

(Update 8-27-08) The sentencing was as expected, except for the date being postponed to Monday, August 25.

A victim's advocate read aloud letters from the woman and her mother.

"The whole thing changed my life to the point where I wished it all went away," the victim wrote.

She also wrote that because of the drawn-out case and news reports about it, people figured out she was the victim, but she feels some did not believe her.

The victim's mother wrote that she felt that Velez should get the maximum possible sentence, but she supports her daughter, who wants the matter resolved.

Velez has to obey a lifetime restrainging order, undergo SO treatment and listing, and is facing charges for inpersonationg a police officer.

Vernon Center, CT man sentenced to 2 decades in prison

Oral Haines was sentenced to 20 years in prison and 10 years of special parole in Vernon Superior Court Friday, July 25 for molesting a family member between ages 9 and 23. His conviction was after only 3 hours of jury deliberation. Because of the statute of limitations in effect when the abuse was finally reported back in 2003, Haines was only charged with the sexual abuse occuring after the victim was 21 and not the childhood and adolescent sexual abuse, but it was factored into Haines' sentence.

The abuse started as inappropriate touching, she said, before progressing to further sexual abuse, including intercourse. The woman also told jurors that she eventually began using birth control so that Haines would not impregnate her.

Haines, charged with 2 dozen counts of 3rd degree sexual assault and a count of 1st degree sexual assault, was found guilty on all counts. He denied the charges, then said that the sex was consensual between himself and the victim.

During his two-week trial, defense lawyers Jeff Kestenband and Moira Buckley questioned why the woman waited so long to report the lengthy childhood abuse; Haines was charged with only two years’ worth of assaults due in part to the state’s statute of limitations on sexual crimes.

However, expert testimony revealed to the court that victims of traumatic abuse often hide the details of their abuse from others due to a deep sense of shame or responsibility, even going so far as to protect their abusers. After just three hours of deliberation, the jury convicted Haines of one count of first-degree sexual assault and 24 counts of third-degree sexual assault, acquitting him of one count of first-degree kidnapping.

Assistant State’s Attorney Elizabeth Leaming, who prosecuted the trial, said that his actions were “one of the most heinous crimes one can commit. Never once, prior to the trial or since, has the defendant shown the slightest bit of remorse.”

The victim also spoke at the sentencing, and said “I’m sure you thought I wouldn’t show up for the trial; that I wouldn’t stay the course. That you still had control over me.”

The woman called herself the voice for those women who come forward to confront their abusers “even if their families or society ostracizes them.”

Kestenband, however, argued for less jail time for the man he said was a good person and a good father; one who suffered from a background of mental illness and parental abuse. According to Kestenband, Haines’s father was physically and emotionally abusive, and many of Haines’ behaviors mirror those that his father inflicted on him.

Another factor in sentencing, Kestenband said, should be Haines’ life expectancy. Haines, 52, is without work, on disability, and is plagued by physical ailments.“Eight years, for somebody in his position, is a significant period of incarceration,” Kestenband said, after proposing a maximum eight-year sentence for Haines.Many of Haines’ friends and family also spoke during the sentencing in support of their friend and father, supporting Kestenband’s comments.

Conditions of special parole include sex offender treatment and registration, no contact with the victim or pornography. Kestenband plans to appeal.

Bridgeport, CT rapist sentenced to 30 years for rapes and burglaries

Stephen White, 34 plead guilty Friday, June 20 to two counts each of aggravated 1st degree sexual assault and 1st degree burglary for the rapes of two women after breaking into their homes. The Bridgeport, CT resident was sentenced to 30 years in prison for the attacks, and Superior Court Judge George Thim said that these are crimes which cry out for severe punishment. State's Attorney Jonathan Benedict, which recommended the 30 year sentence, said that "at least society can feel safe that Mr. White will be off the streets for an extended period of time."

According to police on Aug. 3, 1999, were sent to investigate a report of a hysterical woman at a home on McKinley Avenue in Stratford. The 44-year-old woman, naked and suffering from facial injuries, was taken to Bridgeport Hospital.

The prosecutor said the woman told police she was sleeping when a man forced his way into her home. The man hit her in the face with a vase, then raped her.

In the other case involving White, Benedict said that on June 9, 2004, police were dispatched to investigate a forced entry and rape at a Union Avenue house. The 35-year-old woman told police she was sleeping when a man forced his way into her home. She said the intruder pointed a knife at her, according to the prosecutor. The assailant placed a pillow over the woman's face and began sucking her right toes.

Benedict said the woman cried out and the man stuffed his shirt into her mouth and threatened to kill her if she made any more noise. He then raped her.

The prosecutor said the woman's mother, who was in the bedroom next door, was awakened by the noise from her daughter's room and saw the intruder raping her daughter. He said she grabbed a clothes iron and hit the man in the head with it. The man cut the mother on the hand and fled, Benedict said.

White was arrested by Stratford police for burglary of a home there. After sentencing to prison, White was required to take a DNA sample, and matches were found with DNA taken from both victims. Assistant Public Defender Jonathan Demirjian said his client was using PCP daily when the crimes were committed, and that White accepts that he will be imprisoned until his 60s.

Voyeur sentenced to 2 years probation for videotaping sex act with now ex-girlfriend

Casper Desfeux, a 21 year old Yale University student who plead guilty to showing four roommates a tape of himself having sex with his then girlfriend, will spend the next two years on probation as ordered by New Haven Superior Court Judge Philip A. Scarpellino.

The probation that Desfeux is on is called accelerated rehabilitation, for 1st time offenders. If Desfeux (or any other offender) completes two years of this sentence, the charges will be dismissed. Scarpellino denounced Desfeux's conduct.

"I think you should be ashamed of yourself. In this day and age when we're fighting for our privacy with cameras displayed everywhere, we don't need them in places where they shouldn't appear."

In sworn testimony Friday, Desfeux said he showed the video only to his four roommates and did not distribute it on the Internet. His attorney, William F. Dow III, said the incident was "an error of judgment by two young people."

Prosecutor David Strollo said the victim consented to Desfeux's receiving accelerated rehabilitation as long as he complied with a list of 13 conditions, including that she receive the sole copy of the video.Another condition allows Desfeux to get his computer back as long as any trace of the video is erased from the computer's hard drive. Desfeux told authorities he had schoolwork stored on the computer that he needed. "No evidence of the video shall ever be viewed again," Strollo said.

Desfeux has not been taking classes ever since the incident last fall. The woman learned about the voyeurism from one of his roommates.

New Haven, CT oficer arrested on sex abuse and unlawful restraint charges

A 13 year veteran on the New Haven Police department has been arrested and charged with two counts each of 4th degree sexual abuse and 2nd degree unlawful restraint for an incident which occured at a New Haven business on April 19. Two college women, 20 and 21, were at a bar in which Maio was providing security.

Around closing time, Maio invited the women upstairs, where he took them to an employee bathroom and locked the door, according to the affidavit.

Maio kissed the women repeatedly and put his hand up the skirt of one woman and tried to touch the other woman on her chest, the affidavit says. The women said the officer locked the door twice and one of them said he held them back from leaving.

Officer Anthony Maio, 40, turned himself into his own police department after the warrants were signed, and is currently on paid administrative leave.

New Haven Police Chief Stephanie Redding said the following:

"We take these incidents very seriously as this type of behavior from an officer is unacceptable. Our residents count on us to be role models, to serve them and to provide them with effective community policing. We have a strong internal affairs team that works hard to make sure that we meet or exceed the expectations of our residents."

"This is a police veteran with an exemplary record," Tim Pothin, Maio's attorney, said Friday. "There has never been any hint of any impropriety on his part. He adamantly denies these essentially uncorroborated allegations."

Maio was released on $5000 bond and is due back in court June 18.

Woman who groped male Santa granted "accelerated rehabilitation"

Sandrama Lamy, a 33 year old women who groped a male Santa Clause at a Danbury, CT mall last December, was granted accelerated rehabilitation, which dismisses charges if the offender stays out of trouble for two years. The defense lawyer, who argued that the December 15th incident was caused by Lamy's medication, deserves an assist.


Deputy Assistant State's Attorney Colleen Zingaro told the judge that Lamy grabbed Santa's crotch.

Authorities said this occurred while Lamy and a friend were having photographs taken with Santa. When Lamy got off his lap, she was heard laughing, "I grabbed Santa's crotch," Zingaro said.

Defense lawyer Catherine Rivard, who pushed Lamy around court in a wheelchair Wednesday, told the judge her client "has been on a lot of medications" and implied the medications caused her to behave impulsively.

"She does have periods where she does not recall, and we think this is one of the incidences that occurred," Rivard said. "She has a clean record, and I think she would be most grateful if the court would grant this program."

At that point, Judge Susan Reynolds asked, "Am I ever going to see you in this court again, ma'am, on another charge?"

"No, your honor," Lamy replied.

Rivard declined to comment after the hearing. Lamy's reason for being on medication or in a wheelchair was not revealed during court proceedings.

If Lamy stays out of trouble for 2 years, the charges of 4th degree sexual assault and breach of peace will be dismissed. Prosecutors did not make any arguments related to the diversion program, and Lamy was barred from the mall where she groped the Santa, who wasn't present in court.