NY Post: Cop Admits Partner Raped East Village Woman

The NY Post reports that a police officer has "admitted to investigators that his partner raped a drunken woman - and that he himself stood by after they escorted the defenseless victim into her East Village apartment." According to the Post's sources, Officer Franklin L. Mata, who has been with the NYPD for three years, has agreed to testify against his partner, 17-year veteran Officer Kenneth Moreno.

The two cops, who were stripped of their guns and badges and placed on modified duty, had been under investigation after a woman claimed she had been raped by a police officer on December 7 last year. A cab driver had called 911 for help, because his fare was an intoxicated woman who vomited in his cab and needed help getting to her home. A neighborhood bar's surveillance tapes show the police officers visiting the woman's apartment building repeatedly the night of the alleged attack—once with her and then two more times, the final time with a key.

Investigators believe the third visit, which lasted about 40 minutes, was when Moreno apparently raped the woman. According to the Post, the woman "awoke hours later, in pain and with signs of trauma" and she "contacted authorities and was treated at Beth Israel Hospital."

Mata reportedly initially claimed his Moreno had consensual sex with the woman, but the surveillance video and witness accounts suggested the woman was too drunk to consent. Sources tell the Post that it appears that cops used other calls they had that night to cover up the rape; investigators were suspicious when Mata couldn't produce his memo book, "which should have contained details of the cops' movements and interactions on the night of the alleged rape."

Another questionable discovery during the investigation was heroin found in Moreno's locker. Moreno reportedly claimed he forgot to report it, but apparently "the dope was found tightly wrapped in a package hidden in a cigarette box." A list of women's names and addresses were also found; the Daily News reported, "Investigators want to know if any of them were ever attacked."

Update (9/9/11): Gothamist has published a long-form feature about the Rape Cop case, written by one of the jurors. It takes you behind the scenes during their deliberations, and explains how they came to their controversial verdict. Buy it today as a PDF or on Kindle.

Contact the author of this article or email tips@gothamist.com with further questions, comments or tips.

By Jen Chung in News on March 4, 2009 9:52 AM

Comments [rss]

LaLuneEstMorte

NY's Finest...? BULL!

Protect and Serve? I can't trust a cop as far as I can throw em

cxb

NOTE: even the cop-lovers at the NYPost did a COVER story last year on how many NYPD cops are being arrested for all sorts of crimes.

That legally means BLOOMBERG and KELLY are now responsible, b/c it shows a pattern.

You don't blame toxic waste for polluting the river. You blame whomever PUT THE TOXIC WASTE THERE.

Curiously enough, there have been umpteen NYPD scandals every year since the minute thy created the NYPD.

SOMEONE NEEDS to create a website that just lists every NYPD scandal, with links to news stories. There are over 4 MILLION NYPD scandals and those are just the ones the public found out about!

BLOOMBERG BELONGS IN JAIL.

Bloombergscandals.blogspot.com

jay0221

you can not believe everything you read, sensational headlines sell newspapers.

read this, released 2 hours ago.

http://www.newsday.com/news/local/newyork/ny-nyrape0512516863mar05,0,4517486.story

jibbly

Doesn't say anything new or specific, only referring to "inconsistencies" in both the woman's and the accused stories.

But in light of the younger officer changing his consensual sex excuse to rape, without a deal with the DA, the article is already old news.

Yes, sensational headlines sell newspapers, but that doesn't mean that they're fictional.

eyekantspel

Is this the guy? http://www.nycpba.org/publications/mag-05-summer/ninth-1.html

La Leone

Pigs are simply pigs who can't help themselves. Mandatory castration is the only solution for these types of cases. He obviously cannot control his impulse to rape, even when he's supposed to helping the people he swore protect. "Sociopath" was used in these comments, and if you look up sociopath you will find that there is no known effective treatment for curing sociopathic people.

Our modern patriarchy would never support mandatory castration, but I think it's a perfectly reasonable solution in cases like these.

Not all men are pigs, and not all cops are pigs, but uh...the NYC statistics aren't favorable all around.

Quidnam

Oh, come on. "Our modern patriarchy" has nothing to do with the unavailability of "mandatory castration" as punishment for crime. Modern standards of decency, respect for human rights, and a modicum of respect for our constitution and prohibition of cruel and unusual punishment have everything to do with it.

People used to be drawn and quartered in medieval England, as patriarchal a society as can be imagined. In addition to being disemboweled, this typically involved feeding the alleged perpetrator his own genitals before he was ripped apart in the public square. Do you really want us to go back in this direction?

I swear, the digital lynch mobs that form around reports of sensational crimes make me wonder where we're headed. Yes, imprison the perpetrator and take away his career, freedoms, and quality of life if he did what he is alleged to have done, and if it can be shown in court. But stop calling for vigilantism and inhumane punishments that would debase our society as a whole.

norak

The NYC PBA did a story featuring a "Ken Moreno" in 2005: link

I wonder if this is the same guy...

Jen Chung

That does look like him. I wonder if the woman pictured in that article is the unnamed female cop quoted in the Daily News (she was partnered with Moreno) — "He's a great cop. I'm a woman. I've known him for 15 years, worked with him and never felt uncomfortable with him. We were partners. He is a great cop. Still is."

citizenerased

Yeah thats him. There is another photo in that daily news article.

whoresunderpants

why are they not in jail??

miss_mess

Where are the community leaders? I'm going to write to Bloomberg, my council woman, etc. The complete absence of outrage in the community is disgusting.

citizenerased

Totally agree. This is one of the worst story's I've heard and no-one in a position of authority has said shit.

Steven

I really don't understand why people kill themselves in the foot. You have a decent paying job, good health insurance and pension, job security etc. Must be the mentality of being in power and thinking you're special because I'm above everyone else.

Steven

I really don't understand why people kill themselves in the foot. You have a decent paying job, good health insurance and pension, job security etc. Must be the mentality of being in power and thinking you're special because I'm above everyone else.

JacqueMehoff

Lynch should also go on saying they're "mongrels".

sharpshoota

Where is Pat Lynch? I want to see him call these 2 "SWINE"! Where are you Pat?

rdsizzle

The one who "watched" and is now testifying against his partner obviously cut a deal. Yesterday he was denying it. They probably offered him some sort of immunity and perhaps even a modified duty desk job to testify against the actual rapist....Just an assumption but if the guy went from denial to agreeing to testify; has to be a deal.

moocowtoo

According to the post article:

"Mata doesn't have a deal with the DA's office, they said."

billybob

what's disgusting is that the younger cop probably struck a deal with the D.A. to testify against the older cop. hopefully the favor will be returned in prison to both of them.