Sources: NYPD cop accused in rape case

Sources: NYPD cop accused in rape case
NEWSDAY BY DANIEL EDWARD ROSEN AND ROCCO PARASCANDOLA -March 2, 2009

A Manhattan woman has accused a New York City police officer of raping her in her apartment in December, police department sources said Sunday. The officer and his partner, whose names have not been released, have been placed on modified desk duty and are under investigation by the Manhattan district attorney's office and the NYPD Internal Affairs Bureau, sources said. The sources gave the following account: On Dec. 7, the woman, a business executive who lives in the East Village, was drunk and unable to find the money to pay her cab fare. The cabdriver phoned 911 and the two officers, one a veteran and the other fairly new to the force, helped the woman get to her apartment. Both officers left but returned 40 minutes later. The woman said she was attacked during their second visit. Surveillance cameras in the building captured the two officers entering and leaving the building twice, sources said. The woman reported the alleged assault to the Manhattan district attorney's office. "The DA's office has gone on for a period of time with this investigation, which would seem to indicate that there are questions about the complainer's original version of the facts," says Stephen Worth, an attorney for the Patrolmen's Benevolent Association who is representing one of the officers. An NYPD spokesman would only say, "The matter is being investigated by Internal Affairs."  rocco.parascandola@newsday.com