Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Brooklyn DA Hid Woman's Rape Recantation, Indicted Men Anyway
By
John Del Signore
Published Apr 18, 2012
Modified Apr 18, 2012
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
John Del Signore
Published Apr 18, 2012
Modified Apr 18, 2012
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Last June, the Brooklyn DA made a big announcement about the arrests of Damien Crooks and Jamali Brockett, who were accused of forcing a 13-year-old Orthodox Jewish girl into prostitution in 2003—and continuing to rape, assault and sexually traffic her for the next eight years. Two of their "associates," Jawara Brockett and Darrell Dula, were also charged with raping the victim. But this week it emerged that the alleged victim recanted her accusation almost immediately, telling detectives she was a prostitute for five years and simply made up the rape allegation.
The unidentified woman filed the complaint at the end of March in 2010 when she was 22 years old, accusing the men of raping her, beating her, and pimping her out since she was 13. But the next day she denied being raped. The Daily News obtained a copy of the detective's report, in which he writes, “I once again asked [her] if she was raped. She told me ‘no’ and stated to me, ‘Can’t a ho change her ways?’ "
The alleged victim gave a signed recantation, but the Brooklyn DA proceeded with the case anyway, and a grand jury indicted the four men last spring. The woman's recantation was never shared with defense attorneys until this week. The News reports that prosecutor Rebecca Gingold, who recently replaced Assistant District Attorney Abbie Greenberger, discovered the missing documents, "tracked them down," and turned them over to Dula's lawyer, James Phillips.
Dula has been in jail for ten months, and was finally released yesterday, returning to his home in Crown Heights, where the News interviewed him as he played with his son outside his home. His attorney calls the revelation a “smoking gun that destroys the credibility of this witness—the only witness against my client admitted to lying." We contacted the DA's office for more on this, and we'll update if they decide to get back to us. But Crooks's lawyer asks the Post, "How do they go on TV talking about this huge sex-trafficking bust when they had written documentation from police officers in which she admitted lying?"
Tagged
brooklyn da
Crown Heights
prostitution
rape
rape allegation
recantation
sex trafficking
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.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
Police are still investigating bike crash that killed dad of 2 in Central Park
The family is raising money for the wife and two daughters he leaves behind.
By
Brittany Kriegstein
Published Sep 29, 2026 at 9:31 a.m. ET
NYC has a plan to stop homeless people from cycling between hospitals and the streets
The Bridge to Home program, which began last year, will officially expand to Brooklyn on Tuesday.
By
Karen Yi
News
NYC has a plan to stop homeless people from cycling between hospitals and the streets
The Bridge to Home program, which began last year, will officially expand to Brooklyn on Tuesday.
By
Karen Yi
Early Addition: Billy Joel is auctioning off 70 of his motorcycles
By
James Ramsay
Man dragged to death by subway in Brooklyn after getting caught on closing doors
By
Brittany Kriegstein
Upper East Side braces for affordable housing fast track, and backlash from residents
By
David Brand
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .