BRONX MAN SENTENCED TO 16 YEARS TO LIFE IN PRISON FOR RAPING BRONX MOTHER IN ELEVATOR

 

Defendant Raped Woman at Knifepoint, Stole Her Money 

 Bronx District Attorney Darcel D. Clark today announced that a Bronx man has been sentenced to an indeterminate sentence of 16 years to life in prison for raping a woman in an elevator inside a Pelham Bay Park building.

 District Attorney Clark said, “The defendant brutally attacked the victim, who was coming home after work to her children. No woman should have to fear walking into their own building. The defendant’s actions have deeply affected her; her sense of safety and peace have been taken. My Crime Victims Assistance Bureau is providing resources to the victim and has been supporting her since the horrific attack.”

 District Attorney Clark said the defendant, Ramon Rotestan, 47, last of 3560 Webster Avenue, was sentenced on August 22, 2023 to an indeterminate sentence of 16 years to life in prison by Bronx Supreme Court Justice Laurence Busching. The defendant pleaded guilty to Attempted Rape in the first degree and Attempted Robbery in the first degree on July 25, 2023.

 According to the investigation, on May 9, 2022, the defendant followed the victim, whom he did not know, into her apartment building, then into the elevator. Rotestan demanded the victim hand over all her money at knifepoint and took $112 from her. He then patted her down and raped her in the elevator. A neighbor made noise in the hallway outside the elevator and the defendant ran away. The incident was captured on surveillance video. The defendant, who had been released from prison and had been on parole for 39 days prior to the attack, was arrested on May 12, 2022.

 District Attorney Clark also thanked Detective Shaniqua Clark and Detective Ernesto Castillo of the NYPD Bronx Special Victims Squad, and Detective Michael Gersch and Officer Mark Polak of the 49th Precinct.