A New York City cop is facing some serious charges after being arrested for having sex with an underage girl and recording their encounters, according to officials.
The disgraced officer, Raul Olmeda, was arraigned on a 67-count indictment and is currently being held on $250,000 bond, the New York Daily News reports.
New York City Police Commissioner James O’Neill ripped into the officer for his behavior and alleged crimes, calling it “unconscionable.”
Olmeda apparently even continued on with his alleged crimes even after an investigation was launched and his home was searched, authorities say.
“The nature and scope of the charges in this indictment are egregious,” O’Neill said. “The fact that the defendant is an NYPD officer evidences an unconscionable violation of his oath to uphold the law and protect the public.”
According to the report, Olmeda, 40, paid the girl for sex some five times between January and April, including twice after police searched his apartment in New York City’s Bronx borough. Bronx District Attorney Darcel Clark said that the man “preyed on the vulnerable young woman and videotaped his demeaning and dehumanizing act.”
“It is especially disturbing that these crimes are alleged against a member of the NYPD,” Clark added.
It is not yet clear how Olmeda came across the victim, who is said to be younger than 16, but officers say they uncovered the crimes while conducting a prostitution investigation.
An attorney representing Olmeda, Stuart London, said that his client denies the accusations “from the bottoms of his feet to the top of his head.”
“It’s a very heavy indictment, which is evidence of nothing,” London said. “This isn’t numerous underage women. This is one underage woman, and we don’t know her credibility at all.”
Nothing like a good old dose of blaming the clearly younger and more vulnerable party.
At any rate, Olmeda is facing a list of sex-offense charges, including use of a child in a sexual performance, rape and patronizing a minor for prostitution.
He is also facing charges for the unauthorized use of a computer and official misconduct after he allegedly attempted to use an NYPD computer to try to see what evidence had been collected against him.
In a search of his apartment, police seized a cellphone, computer, video camera and multiple encrypted external hard drives. Authorities also uncovered a recording in which Olmeda, who clearly appears to know that the girl is a minor, urges her not to talk to the police, Assistant District Attorney Meagan Powers noted in court.
Powers said that two other files were also found, including one that had the names, pictures and birthdays of women he had slept with since 1989. Another file was his own investigation into how the Internal Affairs Bureau is investigating him for tax fraud.
Well, he sounds like an all-around charming fellow.
Olmeda, who has been on the force for more than three years, was stripped of his gun and shield and put on desk duty about six months ago. With the arraignment, he was formally suspended without pay.
Read more at the New York Daily News.