Ex-Cops Accused Of Rape Previously Treated Another Drunk Woman Badly

Left to right: Kenneth Moreno and Franklin Mata.(AP/Louis Lanzano)

A few months before they were accused of raping a drunk East Village woman in her apartment, the two police officers charged (and found not guilty) in the incident had another questionable encounter with an inebriated young woman in the neighborhood, the Village Voice reports. The unidentified woman, who was 21 at the time, was interviewed by investigators looking into the rape charges, but the jurors never heard about the incident in court. Here are the broad strokes:

In the August incident, Mata and Moreno were accused of being verbally abusive to a woman, calling her a "cunt" and a "bitch," among other things. They pushed her around, causing scratches and bruises on her wrists. They refused to take her criminal complaint for theft. They refused to identify themselves. They detained her twice on specious grounds, never read her Miranda rights, held her for several hours, and let her go without explaining why she had been arrested.

The woman says her trouble started after a bartender at Cheap Shots refused to serve her and a friend, and then some teenagers stole her phone and wallet outside. When Officers Kenneth Moreno and Franklin Mata rolled up, they refused to take her complaint, and she cursed them out. She says they then handcuffed her and threw her in the back of the squad car, at which point Mata removed a sanitary napkin from her tote bag and stated, "Is this why you're being so bitchy?"

She was ultimately charged with disorderly conduct and held for several hours with no explanation at the 9th Precinct stationhouse, where at one point Mata called her a "cunt," according to the complaint report from the Civilian Complaint Review Board. The CCRB recommended that the NYPD charge the officers with violating department rules, but that never happened, and one of Moreno's lawyers told the Voice, "It sounds like someone who is disorderly got arrested and now wants to capitalize on what happened. It sounds like sour grapes to me."

It also sounds like typical bullying cop behavior. And if you've ever tried to report a petty theft to a beat cop, you probably aren't surprised by these officers' uncooperative behavior. Would it have made a difference to the jury if they knew that Mata, who was accused of acting as a lookout while his partner raped a woman, had made offensive remarks to another woman? Without any DNA evidence connecting Mata to the sanitary napkin, it's hard to say!

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 John Del Signore in News on July 6, 2011 9:13 AM

Comments [rss]

Nos Feratu

People are shocked to find out that the average cop is a thug? Please, don't tell me that low pay is the problem. If you need proof that pay has nothing to do with it, take the trip to Bergen County, where you will find the highest paid municipal cops in the country.....most average over $100K per year with benefits that would make the dictator of a banana republic envious. Those Jersey cops are are even bigger creeps than NYPD cops.

theevilerone

I refuse to believe that Cheap Shots refused to serve somebody.

Guest

Dear Karma,

Please make sure these two jerkoffs die a horrible, violent, gender-mutilating death.

Sincerely,

The Human Race

Guest

When will someone just take these two scumbags out of the picture?

JarekAF

That's not cool.

ed_Extinct

People who are violent criminals that get away with their crimes, ultimately believe they can do it again and "talk" their way out of it.

OJ Simpson killed Nicole Brown and Ronald Goldman and he, a few years later, acted out in a violent manner and was caught and imprisoned for 33 years.

Another great example is that of recent news, Casey Anthony. In all likelihood this isn't the last of Casey. She'll probably commit another act of violence in the future and because of he notoriety, it will be sprayed across the media.

These cops "got away" with it. They'll be back and I'm sure we'll here of it.

Guest

I really get sick seeing their smug ass faces.

3fingersbrown

Wow a whole boatload of assholes. Fuck 'em all.

jza1218

So she was so drunk that the bartender refused to serve her and she admits that she cursed them out? Disorderly conduct seems legit to me

polskiedukarty

sounds like you're NYPD material

jza1218

If a dump like Cheap Shots refused to serve somebody that must mean that they were REALLY STINKIN drunk.

Guest

NYPD material is steaming stinking excrement.

splicernyc

I hate to judge a book by its cover but the look on Mata's face in that photo speaks volumes.

PicoPhreako69

Exactly.
Me, I'm ordinarily one of THE most non-violent people on the planet, but each time I see pics of these guys, I am overcome with the desire to repeatedly insert my clenched fists into their faces until nothing remains but a frothy, red mist...
I need a drink. And a massage. And maybe a nice, long, hot shower....

Guest

actually, being observant is a holy gift. some people just need to purify it.

Guest

these fuckers are going down -- BURN BABY, BURN!

ktinnyc

Did you just wake up from a coma? The trial ended and they can't be tried for the rape again no matter what evidence is introduced. We can just hope they have to serve time for the Official Misconduct charge they were convicted on.