Former Brooklyn cops accused of rape return to court facing lesser charges
The two Brooklyn police officers accused of raping a woman in the back of their police van while on duty appeared in Brooklyn Supreme Court on Wednesday for the first time since prosecutors threw out the rape charges against them.
Eddie Martins and Richard Hall appeared before Justice Danny Chun facing reduced charges of receiving sexual favors as a bribe and official misconduct. The victim — who uses the pseudonym Anna Chambers — accused both the men of raping her in the back of their vehicle on September 15, 2017, after they arrested her for having a small amount of marijuana. Hall and Martins both claimed the sex was consensual, but resigned from the NYPD in late 2017.
“This was not bribery. This was rape. This was pure rape, and they should be prosecuted for that,” said Michael David, who is representing Chambers in her federal civil rights lawsuit against the city, which he said is going to trial in a few months.
Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez threw out the original 40-count indictment — including the rape charges — in March, after prosecutors found that Chambers had made false statements under oath.