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 ›

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 ›

The two former cops convicted of misdemeanor official misconduct but acquitted of felony rape charges were supposed to have been sentenced today, but sentencing has been postponed so lawyers can watch outtakes from an HBO documentary. Officer Kenneth Moreno was accused of raping a drunken young woman in her East Village apartment in 2008 while his partner Franklin Mata stood watch. They were acquitted of the most serious charges, but could face up to two years in prison for repeatedly returning to the woman's apartment while they were on duty, and trying to cover it up. 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 ›

If you're outraged by the "not guilty" verdict handed down today in the trial of two NYPD officers accused of raping a drunk East Village woman in her home, there will be a demonstration Friday outside the Manhattan Criminal Court building at 100 Centre Street. It's set to take place from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m., and the organizers have posted this message on their Facebook page: 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 ›

During earlier testimony in the "rape cop" trial, Officer Kenneth Moreno testified that part of the reason he was reluctant to call an ambulance for a vomiting drunk woman was because a few months earlier he'd seen a man die after the EMS was delayed by "a drunk that was giving them a hard time." Moreno went on to say, "I worked on him," referring to the 82-year-old heart-attack victim. He claimed that he tried in vain to resuscitate the man, but by the time the ambulance arrived 20 minutes later, it was too late. Well, yesterday the paramedic who responded to that incident testified that Moreno's account was completely bogus. more ›

The judge in the infamous "rape cop" trial is reportedly fuming because the proceedings have ground to a halt over a difficult witness the defense wants to call: Assistant District Attorney Coleen Balbert, who is the lead prosecutor in the case. According to the Post, lawyers for accused rapist Officer Kenneth Moreno and his alleged accomplice want to call Balbert to the stand to grill her on what they say are inconsistencies in her notes from witness interviews. During a meeting in open court, a "visibly frustrated" Justice Gregory Carro lashed out at the defense attorneys. more ›

The NYPD officer accused of raping a drunken young woman in her East Village apartment broke down during testimony yesterday. While trying to explain why he told his accuser he used a condom if in fact he did not rape her, Kenneth Moreno explained, "She was threatening me. I took it as a threat. She was going to walk into my command and tell them something happened that didn't happen." When one of his lawyers asked him why he didn't report the accusation to a supervisor, Moreno started crying, CBS 2 reports, saying, "If I had done that, Internal Affairs would have opened a file. I would’ve risked my pension. And look where I’m at now! Look where I’m at now! Two and a half years later!" more ›

The NYPD officer accused of raping an intoxicated young woman in her East Village apartment spoke about that night for the first time yesterday, testifying in open court that the woman tried to seduce him, and that he chivalrously turned her down. On his fourth trip back to her apartment, Officer Kenneth Moreno says he found the woman stripped down to her bra, and that even though she'd spent hours throwing up in the bathroom, she was practically begging for sex. more ›

Kenneth Moreno, the NYPD officer who is charged with raping a woman in her East Village apartment while his partner stood watch, took the stand today and offered a simple "no," when asked by his attorney if he committed rape, the Post reports. "I am nervous," Moreno testified after being prompted by his attorney to share his state of mind, and also a issued a curt "no" to whether or not he and Officer Franklin Mata broke into his accuser's apartment. He did, however, admit to committing "patrol guide violations." more ›

A toxicologist in the NYC Medical Examiner's office testified that the woman who claims a NYPD cop raped her (and another stood watch) could have had a blood alcohol level as high as four times the legal limit. When asked if the accuser could have been unable to move while being raped, Michael McGee said, "The effects you're describing are certainly effects that have been observed." more ›

Defense lawyers in the "Rape Cop" case are still trying to prove that the accuser was not too drunk to consent because she could hold her liquor. "She could 'pound it,' so to speak, correct?" defense lawyer Joseph Tacopina asked the prosecution witness. The witness responded that "she could drink a lot and hold it together," and said that "once in a while" she would drink five Red Bull vodkas in an outing. more ›

Yesterday the jury for the trial of two cops charged in the rape of a drunk woman in her East Village apartment heard testimony from a specialist in sexual-assault forensic exams. Nurse Karen Carroll did not examine the unidentified woman after the alleged rape, but having reviewed the medical records, Carroll testified the bruising to her cervix was "consistent with something coming into contact with her cervix when she is lying on her stomach." But during cross-examination, a lawyer for Officer Kenneth Moreno, the alleged rapist, had some questions. more ›

Semen and hair from multiple men was collected from the bed of the woman accusing an NYPD officer of raping her, but none of the samples match the DNA of the two cops who escorted her into her East Village apartment that night in 2008. Yesterday a criminologist with the Medical Examiner's office testified that the semen found on mattress ticking and pillow shams could have been there for months, because "semen is designed to survive." The accuser says she had not had sex for four months, which would suggest that the bruising to her cervix came from being raped. But as a defense lawyer for officers Kenneth Moreno and Franklin Mata told the jury yesterday, "There's plenty of forensic evidence, none of it from our guys." more ›

Yesterday defense lawyers for two cops charged with raping an inebriated woman in her East Village apartment in 2008 wrapped up their cross-examination of the alleged victim. As expected, lawyers for the accused officers, Kenneth Moreno and Franklin Mata, tried to cast doubt on reliability of the woman's recollections of that night. For instance, did she tell one of her friends that one cop had a shaved head? The woman testified that she'd said both cops had "short hair." But in order to establish what constitutes a shaved head, the defense referenced actor Vin Diesel. Well, the assistant DA wasn't going to stand for that legerdemain. more ›

The woman who accuses a NYC police officer of raping her—and his partner of acting as a lookout—was cross-examined yesterday and stood her ground. When alleged rapist Kenneth Moreno's lawyer asked about a statement where she said she believed she was raped, the 29-year-old said, "I never said I believe I was raped. I knew I was raped. I was in shock. I couldn't believe it was the cops." more ›