Prosecutors say a woman who spent nearly seven months in jail was actually a crime victimThe woman was jailed on armed robbery chargesProsecutors argued her ex-boyfriend had framed her, after he had raped herThe ex-boyfriend was convicted Wednesday
NEW YORK (CNN) -- A New York City man was convicted Wednesday of raping his ex-girlfriend and then framing her for a series of armed robberies.
A New York Supreme Court jury returned the guilty verdict against Jerry Ramrattan, 39, who was arrested in December 2010 after authorities were led to believe that he was involved in a plot to extract vengeance upon and discredit his ex-girlfriend, Seemona Sumasar, 36, according to Queens District Attorney Richard A. Brown.
"The jury in this case has righted a terrible wrong and justice has finally been served for the victim," Brown said.
The convicted Ramrattan of first-degree rape, first-degree perjury, fifth-degree conspiracy, third-degree tampering with a witness, and third-degree falsely reporting an incident. He had pleaded not guilty to all charges.
"His alleged actions resulted in her (Sumasar), a single mother, being incarcerated for more than six months as she awaited trial and the frightening prospect of spending a lengthy time behind bars if convicted of the trumped-up charges," said prosecutor Brown in a 2010 statement.
CNN's policy is not to identify victims of sexual crimes, but Sumasar has has made public statements about her case. She was profiled and named in a New York Times article on her case earlier this year.
On March 8, 2009, Sumasar, a former Morgan Stanley analyst, was bound and raped in her home after a verbal dispute with Ramrattan, authorities said. After hearing that a warrant was out for his arrest, Ramrattan turned himself in to a New York Police Department special victim's unit, according to authorities.
He made bail, then influenced and intimidated several people into fabricating that Sumasar and another man, had robbed those at gunpoint, prosecutors said.
Ramrattan also was convicted Wednesday of planting false evidence implicating Sumasar at fake crime scenes. Ramrattan placed a bullet at one scene and coerced a false witness into telling police that Sumasar "racked" a handgun, which caused the bullet to fall to the ground, prosectors said.
According to Assistant District Attorney DeGaetano, the false witnesses were shown altered photographs of Sumasar and the other man so they could identify the two to police, according to DeGaetano.
Authorities were duped into believing the claims of armed robberies. As a result, Sumasar was charged with first-degree robbery and spent nearly seven months in jail, separated from her 12 year-old daughter. The other man was released on bail shortly after his arrest.
In December 2010, a police informant notified authorities about the alleged frame-up Frank Kelly, Ramrattan's attorney, claimed that his client did not intimidate nor fabricate anything related to Sumasar. In court last week, Kelly told the jury that "this story is nothing but lies, fabrication, embellishment, revenge and hate."
After the trial, District Attorney Brown said that despite the verdict, Sumasar was deeply and permanently affected by Ramrattan's actions. "The defendant's brazen attempt to seek retribution was not without consequences. She (Sumasar) has suffered serious financial hardships, as well as emotional distress," Brown said.
"Yet, despite her adversity, she had the courage to face her attacker in court and, with her testimony, help convict him. The tables have now turned and it is the defendant who faces the real prospect of spending a lengthy time behind bars."
Ramrattan's sentencing is scheduled for January 4. He is facing more than 25 years in prison.
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