Fake TV producer abused a young woman in Queens, New York: accusation

New York City corrections officer Anthony Martin Jr. has been charged on suspicion of posing as a TV producer to lure a 20-year-old woman to his Queens home and molest her.

Martin, 32, was originally arrested in April, leading to his suspension without pay as a Department of Corrections (DOC) employee at Rikers Island jail. Now a Queens grand jury has indicted him on charges of rape and sexual abuse, and he has pleaded “not guilty.”

He allegedly lured his young victim with the promise of auditioning her for a role in a television drama, prosecutors said Monday. He invited her to his home in the Springfield Gardens section of Queens on March 26, and the victim went there thinking other members of the alleged production staff and cast members would be present. But Martin was alone. He then began fondling her leg and she tried to leave, but the suspect blocked her exit and raped her, according to the complaint.

Martin allegedly held the victim down while she tried to walk away and he sexually assaulted her, according to the criminal complaint reviewed by the Daily News. When she was finally able to leave, the young woman reported the attack to the police and sought medical attention.

The suspect was off-duty at the time of the attack. “This defendant, a New York City corrections officer, lured a young woman to his home with the promise of featuring her on an upcoming television show,” District Attorney Melinda Katz said. “Instead, he allegedly sexually assaulted her and held her down.”

“We look forward to continuing to challenge and fight these charges until he is fully vindicated,” defense attorney Steven Gaitman said Monday. Martin, who has also been a member of the DOC running club, has been free on bail and Judge Ushir Pandit Durant set a new court date for Oct. 18. He faces up to 25 years in prison.

“Officer Martin was suspended without pay on the date of his arrest, April 2, 2024, and remains suspended without pay,” said DOC spokeswoman Annais Morales.

All charges are merely accusations and the defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.

The number of sexual assaults committed by strangers has increased in NYC, as well as domestic rapes. And the cases are usually higher since most rapes remain unreported.

This month, a 19-year-old woman was sexually assaulted while walking near Gracie Mansion, the official residence of the mayor of New York, a guarded, elegant and once quiet area of ​​the Upper East Side of Manhattan. In July, a man pleaded guilty to having abused his underage stepdaughter for years on Long Island (NY). In June, a 13-year-old girl was abused while playing soccer in Kissena Park in Queens. A 25-year-old Hispanic man was arrested and beaten by the community, and later confessed to the crime.

If you are a victim or suspect that someone is being abused, especially if you are a minor or an elderly person:

Seek help

• Call 911, 988 or (800)-942-6906.
• Text “WELL” to 65173.
• Check information at https://nycwell.cityofnewyork.us/es/ and www.988lineadevida.org