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Exonerated "Rape Cop" Sought More Child Support Day After His Acquittal
By
Christopher Robbins
Published Jun 13, 2011
Modified Sep 9, 2011
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By
Christopher Robbins
Published Jun 13, 2011
Modified Sep 9, 2011
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A day after he and his partner, Franklin Mata, were acquitted of raping a woman in her East Village apartment, former NYPD officer Kenneth Moreno reportedly filed a request to receive more child support money from his ex-girlfriend Maria Cruz. According to court documents that Cruz gave to The Post, Moreno "cited a change in his personal finances seeking an unspecified bump in the current $50 a month Cruz gives him." Cruz claims that "[Moreno's] just being spiteful. He's angry," and wonders "why should I have to pay for what he did?"
Moreno met Cruz, a Staten Island bus driver, when she was 18, and the two have a 14-year-old daughter together. Cruz had custody of their daughter until she was 7, but in 2002 after a bitter custody battle that included psychiatrists deeming Cruz fit to raise their daughter, a judge "ordered Moreno to pay more than $700 a month plus $6,000 in support arrears." Moreno then hired what Cruz called "an expensive lawyer" and began fighting again for custody, which he eventually won. The couple had called police on one another six times, and "NYPD's Internal Affairs Bureau temporarily took [Moreno's] three guns" in 2000 because of their fighting.
The couple's child support hearing is scheduled for June 29, a day after Moreno is set to be sentenced for his convictions of misdemeanor misconduct. Both Moreno and Mata were fired and thus stripped of their pensions.
Update (9/9/11): Gothamist has published a long-form feature about the Rape Cop case, written by one of the jurors. It takes you behind the scenes during their deliberations, and explains how they came to their controversial verdict. Buy it today as a PDF or on Kindle.
Tagged
crime
franklin mata
kenneth moreno
nypd
rape
rape cop trial
rape cops
Christopher Robbins
Christopher Robbins is a New York City reporter covering transportation, affordable housing, local politics, and criminal justice. His work has also appeared in New York Magazine, The Village Voice and The New York Times. Chris is a graduate of Patrick Henry High School in Roanoke, Virginia, and enjoys biking to Fort Tilden in the summertime.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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