A former Brooklyn cab driver has been sentenced to 13 years in prison for raping and violently assaulting a 12-year-old girl at gunpoint. The defendant pleaded guilty to first-degree rape in June.
“With today’s sentence, we are holding this defendant accountable for a brutal and horrific attack against an innocent young girl," Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez said. "I remain committed to keeping our streets safe from violent sexual criminals and to seeking justice for all victims of sexual violence.”
The defendant has been identified as Rafael Martinez, 35, of East New York. Martinez was sentenced today to 13 years in prison and 20 years’ post-release supervision. He must register as a sex offender upon his release from prison.
According to the evidence, on August 10, 2020, at approximately 5:30pm, the defendant picked up a 12-year-old girl from a relative’s home in Fort Greene and was supposed to drive the girl to her home in Bed-Stuy. Instead, the defendant stopped the cab on Bergen Street and removed what appeared to be a black firearm from the glove compartment, loaded silver bullets into it and told the victim: “If you say anything, these bullets are for you.”
The defendant then climbed into the backseat, threatened the child with the firearm, and punched her. The defendant then proceeded to rape and sexually assault her. He then went back into the driver’s seat and drove to a second location, on Herkimer Street, and returned to the backseat, pushed the victim down and raped her again. At approximately 8 p.m., he dropped her home, where she told her mother that she had been raped.
