More good news for ex-NYPD officer Kenneth Moreno, who was acquitted in May of raping a woman in her East Village apartment while he was on duty: DNAinfo reports that a judge has dismissed his misdemeanor heroin possession charge today at the city's request. Because Moreno was sentenced to the maximum penalty of a year in jail for official misconduct related to the rape charge, there was "no criminal justice purpose served to proceed on the two additional misdemeanors stemming from [Moreno]'s possession of two glassine envelopes of heroin found in his locker," the Assistant DA said. more ›

After publishing Gothamist's first long-form feature last week, Confessions of a "Rape Cop" Juror by Patrick Kirkland, we received many comments and questions about the piece. Confessions is Patrick's account as a juror in the trial of two NYPD officers charged with raping a young woman in her East Village apartment. The rape acquittals in this case sparked widespread outrage—many New Yorkers felt the defendants should have been convicted of more than just official misconduct. However, the jury, which listened to weeks of testimony, felt differently. We posed some of your questions to Patrick: more ›

Gothamist is proud to announce the publication of our first long-form non-fiction feature: Confessions of a "Rape Cop" Juror, by Patrick Kirkland, who was one of the jurors. Patrick gives an unflinching insider's account of the trial of two NYPD officers charged with raping a young woman in her East Village apartment. The rape acquittals in this case sparked widespread outrage—many New Yorkers felt the defendants should have been convicted of more than just official misconduct. However, the jury, which listened to weeks of testimony, felt differently, and after reading this piece, you may understand why.  more ›

The ex-wife of the ex-cop who was recently cleared of raping a drunken young woman in her East Village apartment in 2008 is out for blood. Maria Cruz, a Staten Island bus driver, has a 14-year-old daughter with Moreno, and the day after he was acquitted, Moreno filed a request to receive more child support money from her. She'd been paying just $50 a month to Moreno, who won custody of their daughter in a bitter legal battle. Now she's been ordered to pay a lot more, and she's NOT forking it over quietly. more ›

It appears that at least until late on Tuesday afternoon, former NYPD officer Kenneth Moreno remained in custody after being sentenced to a year in jail for official misconduct, despite his attorneys filing an appeal and being granted $125,000 bail. Yesterday Moreno's defense team was still waiting for paperwork to be completed to grant his release from Rikers, although inmate look up denotes Moreno as being released on Monday. Moreno and his former partner, Franklin Mata, were acquitted in May of charges of raping a woman in her East Village apartment. Mata received a 60-day sentence this morning. more ›

Former NYPD officer Franklin Mata was sentenced today to 60 days in jail and three years probation for official misconduct stemming from the rape charges that he and former partner Kenneth Moreno were acquitted of in May. Judge Gregory Carro, who sentenced Moreno to 1 year in jail on Monday after an angry remonstration, told Mata today, "For some reason you continued to carry your partner's bags throughout the trial. Your testimony clearly…it wasn't wholly truthful." The Post reports that Mata gave a "tearful plea" before the sentence: "I never meant for anyone to get hurt that night…I loved my job and worked hard to get where I was, and now it's all gone." more ›

After accused rapist and former cop Kenneth Moreno was sentenced yesterday to 1 year in prison for official misconduct, the Daily News' Joanna Molloy echoed the sentiments of many when she called it a "rare and jarring spectacle." Even the Post's Andrea Peyser praised Judge Carro for letting Moreno "have it square in the jaw." But those gratifying feelings of seeing "the system work" were chilled by the reality of the system itself: just hours after being sentenced and led away to jail, Moreno was released on $125,000 bail pending appeal. His attorneys continue to argue for dismissal. more ›

Members of the End Rape NYPD and NOW-NYC held a protest in Foley Square last night to coincide with the sentencing of Kenneth Moreno, who was given 1 year in prison for misdemeanor official misconduct, despite being acquitted of rape in May. Both groups are asking for Police Commissioner Ray Kelly to implement a comprehensive training program on rape, sexual assault, a proper police conduct. "The justice system did all it can do," protest organizer Amy Klein told us, "Now it's up to Ray Kelly to enact these logical steps to ensure that this never happens again, and that women who report sexual assault are taken seriously." more ›

In the wake of the one-year prison sentence for official misconduct given to former NYPD officer Kenneth Moreno, who was acquitted in May of raping a woman in her East Village apartment, a protest has been scheduled from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. tonight at Foley Square in Lower Manhattan. Organizers of the protest, End Rape NYPD and NOW-NYC, tell us in a statement, "Today, we're standing with sexual assault victims and promising the NYPD that we're not going away until they demonstrate that they're taking steps to prevent rape, not perpetrate it. Please join us if you can." They're also asking participants to wear red, to show that we're living in a "danger zone." more ›

The two former police officers acquitted of raping an East Village woman are in court this morning. Kenneth Moreno and Franklin Mata were convicted of misdemeanor official misconduct in May and face up to two years in jail. more ›

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: more ›

In addition to watching HBO footage of a documentary on the Manhattan DA's sex crimes unit for evidence that should have been turned over at trial, attorneys for the two former NYPD officers accused of raping an East Village woman are arguing that their accuser should not be able to speak at the cops' sentencing on August 8. "She is not a victim on any count of conviction," Joseph Tacopina told the Times, "She's had her day. She's spoken before the jury." Tacopina refers to the charges of "official misconduct" that they were convicted of, and because she is not a "victim" of the charge, should not be able to make a victim impact statement. more ›

It's been a while since we've been enraged by jurors who voted to acquit two NYPD officers charged with raping a drunken woman in her East Village apartment. At the start of June, juror Melinda Hernandez told DNAinfo, "In my heart of hearts, I believe her that the officers did it." (For good measure, another juror said, "[Officer Kenneth Moreno] raped her. There is no doubt in my mind.") Now, on the eve of the two officers' sentencing for official misconduct, Hernandez has resurfaced with more of the same pointless and infuriating confessions. more ›

A day after he and his partner, Franklin Mata, were acquitted of raping a woman in her East Village apartment, former NYPD officer Kenneth Moreno reportedly filed a request to receive more child support money from his ex-girlfriend Maria Cruz. According to court documents that Cruz gave to The Post, Moreno "cited a change in his personal finances seeking an unspecified bump in the current $50 a month Cruz gives him." Cruz claims that "[Moreno's] just being spiteful. He's angry," and wonders "why should I have to pay for what he did?" more ›

Yesterday, the NY Post published an interview with Julia Moreno, the wife of the (now former) police officer acquitted of raping a drunk East Village woman while on duty, where the weary spouse said the accuser "should go to jail for this" and should "go to hell." Now, the NY Times has run its interview with Mrs. Kenneth Moreno: She said the accuser made up a story, "From the beginning of time, this is what girls do — young girls, inexperienced. They’re not mature. They get drunk. They do these things and, you know, they want sympathy. In his case I believe she wanted sympathy from her friends because they threw her out of her own party." more ›

Julia Moreno, wife of former NYPD officer Kenneth Moreno, who was acquitted on charges of raping a woman in her East Village apartment on Thursday, told reporters that her husband's accuser "should go to jail for this." Telling the Post that the victim "had two days to make up this story with her lawyer friends before she went to the hospital," and added "She can go to hell." In addition to believing that the woman lied throughout the ordeal, Moreno reasoned why the woman would undergo the ordeals of a high-profile trial that included extensive viewing of photographs of her cervix in open court: "Money." more ›

Much of the city is still reeling after yesterday's acquittal of "Rape Cops" Kenneth Moreno and Franklin Mata. And for good reason: the officers falsified a 911 call, left and entered the victim's apartment four times; Moreno testified that he had sung Bon Jovi for the victim, spooned with her on her bed, and even admitted to her in person that he had used a condom and that he wanted to be her boyfriend. An article in the Times today interviews the bar owner whose surveillance camera caught the officers entering and leaving the victim's apartment, the crucial piece of evidence that enabled prosecutors to try the cops, and she had but one comment about her state of mind after the verdict: "Heartbroken, and in disbelief." more ›

A jury has found Officers Kenneth Moreno and Franklin Mata NOT GUILTY of rape after six days of deliberation. Both officers were charged with rape felonies; prosecutors alleged that Moreno raped the unidentified woman while Mata stood watch. The jury also acquitted the officers of burglary (for taking her keys), criminal facilitation, and falsifying records. The verdict was announced at 11 a.m., and the Times reports that the jury did convict both officers of official misconduct for entering the woman’s apartment, "but found them not guilty of all other charges, including burglary and falsifying business records." more ›

Still no verdict after six says of deliberations in the trial of two NYPD officers accused of raping a drunk woman in her East Village apartment in 2008. Yesterday the jury sent what the Post describes as a "wacky" note asking the judge whether "testimony alone can be considered fact." Because there is no DNA evidence, much of the case rests on the testimony offered by the accuser and the two cops—she says Officer Kenneth Moreno raped her and left her in a pool of her own vomit, he says they just "snuggled" for a half hour in her bedroom while she wore nothing but a bra. more ›

Today will be the fifth day of deliberations in the trial of two NYPD officers accused of raping a drunken young woman in her East Village apartment in 2008. The trial has been going on for two months now, during which time New Yorkers were confronted with the revolting details from that "really crazy" night—as accused officer Kenneth Moreno put it. Many of us on the sidelines have already come to a decision, but what is going on in the minds of those five women and seven men on the jury? more ›

After seven weeks of testimony and two days of deliberations, the jury has not reached a verdict in the trial of two cops accused of raping a drunken young woman in her East Village apartment in 2008. Earlier today, the Post reports they requested re-instruction and evidence regarding the official misconduct charges facing both cops. The tabloid speculates that they've "skipped down past the top charges of rape and burglary and seem to be working on the bottom of the 15-count indictment." But we don't know if the jury—five women and seven men—is stuck on the main charges of rape or lesser allegations, like the heroin allegedly found in Officer Kenneth Moreno's station-house locker. To recap, here are all the sordid details that emerged during the trial: more ›

After all available stalling techniques failed, the defense rested in the rape trial of NYPD officer Kenneth Moreno...but as expected, they went out with a bang. Moreno's attorney (who reminds us of another lawyer we know) Joseph Tacopina, took pains to tell the jury that his client is Al Bundy: dumb and lovable, but not a rapist. "Ken is not a very sophisticated guy," Tacopina said, "He's maybe a bit of a simpleton—you heard him testify. But didn't he come away as honest, and a nice human being?" Yeah! A gentleman doesn't "kiss and tell." And he loves hair metal! CASE DISMISSED. more ›