Two former NYPD cops avoid jail time after pleading guilty to multiple charges pertaining to an arrest in 2017.
What We Know:
- Ex NYC Cops Eddie Martins, 39, and Richard Hall, 34, took turns having sex with an 18-year-old girl at the time of her arrest for possession of drugs in September 2017. The teen was handcuffed and placed in the back of a police car where the sexual encounters took place.
- Both officers initially admitted to the sexual encounter but claimed that it was consensual. However, the victim told a slightly different story that claimed Martins raped her and Halls forced her to perform sexual acts while handcuffed. The officers who never reported the arrest to their supervisor later released the victim.
- Although prosecutors were hoping to have Martins and Hall sentenced to a maximum of 3 years in jail, the verdict took a twisted turn. They offered the officers a plea deal allowing them to plea guilty to lesser charges including bribery and misconduct, amongst others. In return, the officers will serve no jail time and will each receive 5 years of probation. Martins and Hall resigned from the police department early on when they were initially charged with rape. Based on the plea deal, each of the officers will retain felonies on their record.
- “I am disgusted. The bottom line is two NYPD detectives raped a teenager in their custody in my district and they are not going to jail, nor will they be registered as sex offenders,” said City Council Member Mark Treyger.
- Unbeknownst to many NYC residents, the state law only referenced correction officers and parole officers involved sexually with a person in custody as a crime. The law never officially applied to police officers until after this case came about.
We expect the victim to pursue a civil lawsuit following the verdict. Although the teen didn’t receive justice, her story has sparked a lot of outrage, which we hope will shed light on the NYPD’s abuse of power.
