Activists protest DA’s decision to drop rape charges against two officers

Activists protested the Brooklyn district attorney’s decision to drop rape charges against two NYPD detectives on Thursday.

News 12 Staff

Mar 7, 2019, 11:56 PM

Updated 2,120 days ago

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Activists protest DA’s decision to drop rape charges against two officers
Activists protested the Brooklyn district attorney’s decision to drop rape charges against two NYPD detectives on Thursday.
The protest took place right outside the district attorney’s office.
On Wednesday, the district attorney’s office dropped rape charges against Edward Martins and Richard Hall, two former detectives who resigned after a woman who uses the alias Anna Chambers accused them of rape.
She says the officers arrested her for drug possession, then took her into a van in Gravesend and raped her.
The officers acknowledged the sex but say it was consensual.
The district attorney’s office released a statement citing “serious credibility issues” in dropping the charges, which sources tell News 12 would have severely undermined the case.
However, the activists were unconvinced and believe that the two former police officers are getting off the hook too easily.
"It is not uncommon for victims of trauma to have inconsistent statements," said Sonia Ossorio, president of Now NYC.
A law enforcement source tells News 12 that the issues leading to the rape charges being dropped go well beyond simple inconsistencies.
The U.S. Attorney's Office says that they wouldn't consider the case because it wasn't a federal case.
Even though the top charges have been dropped, the former officers are still facing charges of bribery and official misconduct, and can still face up to seven years in prison.