A New York City correction officer has been indicted on charges including first-degree rape and first-degree sexual abuse for allegedly luring a woman to his home under the guises of a TV audition and attacking her, prosecutors say.
Anthony Martin, a 32-year-old from Springfield Gardens, also is accused of unlawful imprisonment in the March attack on the 20-year-old woman.
According to investigators, Martin allegedly contacted the victim on social media and invited her to his home while purporting to be a television producer and director who was casting a new show.
The woman arrived at his home on March 26, expecting to meet other producers and prospective cast members, prosecutors say. Martin was the only one there. She tried to leave when he allegedly touched her leg, but prosecutors allege Martin blocked her exit, raped her and otherwise sexually assaulted her.
She reported the attack when she was eventually allowed to leave.
"This defendant – a New York City correction officer – lured a young woman to his home with promises of casting her in an upcoming television show," Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz said in a statement. "Instead, he allegedly sexually assaulted her and imprisoned the woman.
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"Thank you to the brave survivor for coming forward, she continued. "My office is committed to standing up for the survivors of sexual violence and we have secured a grand jury indictment against the defendant for first-degree rape."
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Martin faces up to 25 years in prison if convicted. Attorney information for him wasn't immediately available Tuesday. He is due back in court in October.
