Officers who took plea deal in 2017 police van rape case sentenced to probation

The two former NYPD detectives who had been accused of raping a woman in their custody were sentenced Thursday to five years' probation.

The probation sentencing happened despite the district attorney's request that both men serve prison time. That was the deal set in place by a judge in August in exchange for their guilty pleas.

Eddie Martins, 39, and Richard Hall, 34, apologized to the public and their families right before being sentenced. The former NYPD detectives were accused of raping an 18-year-old woman inside a police van in September of 2017.

Hall also called his accuser a liar, saying that she is not a victim and he is not a rapist. He also added that he believes she, too, should be charged for offering the bribe that they pleaded guilty to receiving.

News 12 is told both pleaded guilty to bribe receiving and official misconduct. The Brooklyn District Attorney's Office dropped kidnapping and rape charges in May, saying there were "serious credibility issues."

The district attorney says the two were assigned to the NYPD's Brooklyn South Narcotics Team at the time. Both officers resigned from the department in November 2017 and are now convicted felons.

The district attorney says what happened in this case triggered state lawmakers to pass a law that prohibits police officers from having sex with people in their custody, closing a loophole that had allowed officers to claim that sex was consensual.

While prosecutors pushed for putting these former detectives behind bars, the judge believes this is a fair sentence and that the outcome might have been different if prosecutors took more time to develop their case before indicting them.

The woman accusing them of rape was not in the courtroom. Her attorney told News 12 that the former officers are victim-shaming his client and that he is extremely upset about the judge's decision.

The victim's attorney told News 12 they have plans to sue Martins and Hall for $50 million. He says what's most important is that his client finally gets justice.