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Ex-Wife of "Rape Cop" Says He Deserves Jail, Sleepy Cop's Jail Time Postponed
By
John Del Signore
Published Aug 17, 2011
Modified Sep 9, 2011
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By
John Del Signore
Published Aug 17, 2011
Modified Sep 9, 2011
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The ex-wife of the ex-cop who was recently cleared of raping a drunken young woman in her East Village apartment in 2008 is out for blood. Maria Cruz, a Staten Island bus driver, has a 14-year-old daughter with Moreno, and the day after he was acquitted, Moreno filed a request to receive more child support money from her. She'd been paying just $50 a month to Moreno, who won custody of their daughter in a bitter legal battle. Now she's been ordered to pay a lot more, and she's NOT forking it over quietly.
During their recent meeting in Brooklyn Family Court, Cruz reportedly called her ex a "piece of shit," and subsequently told the Post, "His jail time is so overdue. If he's not in jail, he'll continue to ruin the lives of young women." In addition to any outrage she might feel over a jury's decision to acquit Moreno of the rape charges, Cruz's anger may also stem from a judge's ruling that she must start paying over $700 a month in child support, up from the previous $50 when she was unemployed. (The Post reports that the increase was due to her better-paying job with the MTA.)
During the Family Court appearance, Moreno explained that he couldn't find work because no one will hire him while he appeals his sentence of one year for official misconduct. At that point, Cruz reportedly placed some info about MTA jobs in front of him and said, "The MTA is hiring. You might want to try that." Cruz is once again fighting for custody of her daughter, and tells the Daily News, "If he goes to jail, she needs to be with me."
And in other "rape cop" news, Moreno's former partner, Franklin Mata, doesn't have to go to jail while he appeals his sentencing. Mata, who claims he took a nap on the couch while Moreno spooned with the half-naked accuser in her bedroom, was sentenced to 60 days jail, but a judge ruled that he could stay free on bail pending appeal. "His (jail) time with good behavior will only ultimately be 40 days," Mata's lawyer, Edward Mandery, told reporters. "By the time an appeal is concluded, he would have served his sentence in a case where the appellate division might ultimately overturn the conviction." And he never would have gotten that nap time back!
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
custody battles
franklin mata
kenneth moreno
rape cop trial
John Del Signore
Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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