The man convicted of dragging a then-12-year-old girl into a Bronx rally and sexually assaulting her at gunpoint was sentenced on Tuesday.
Malcolm Lugo was sentenced virtually to 12 years in state prison and 20 years of post-release supervision.
The victim’s mother had the prosecutor read her impact statement, which said in part, “I will always remember you as the one who destroyed my daughter’s life without having any mercy.”
The victim says she has been haunted by that day in August of 2017. The then-12-year-old had gone to buy cat food when prosecutors say her innocence was brutally taken at Weeks Avenue and East 173rd St.
Police tracked down Lugo, who was 20 years old at the time, in Massachusetts. Lugo spoke from his cell at Rikers Island and claimed he knew the victim.
His lawyer stopped him. The prosecutors say the evidence showed that they were total strangers.
Lugo received a plea deal, which saved the victim from having to testify in a trial. Lugo’s sentencing also requires him to register as a sex offender.