DA VANCE: THREE TEENAGERS INDICTED FOR CHINATOWN RAPE, ROBBERY, AND BURGLARY
Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance, Jr., recently announced the indictment of SANAT ASLIEV, 17, EMANUEL BURROWES, 16, and ERIC PEK, 16, following the June attack of a 33-year-old woman in Chinatown. The defendants are each charged in a New York State Supreme Court indictment with Rape in the First Degree, Burglary in the First Degree as a Sexually Motivated Felony, and Burglary and Robbery, both in the Second Degree. [1]
“This is a shocking case in which three young men are charged with not only brutally raping a vulnerable woman, but also stealing her belongings and breaking into her apartment building in an attempt to further victimize her,” said District Attorney Vance. “I commend this woman for the bravery she exhibited following this horrific attack, as well as members of the NYPD’s Manhattan Special Victims Squad and the prosecutors in my Office’s Special Victims Bureau for their work on this case.”
According to court documents and statements made on the record in court, at approximately 3:40 a.m. on June 1, 2015, ASLIEV, BURROWES and PEK repeatedly touched a barely conscious 33-year-old woman inside an internet café at 75 Eldridge Street, as she tried to push them away. The defendants then took the victim out of the café and into the stairwell of a nearby apartment building at 54 Eldridge Street. There, the defendants removed the victim’s clothing, beat her, and violently raped her.
In addition to sexually assaulting her, the defendants stole the victim’s personal belongings – including her cell phone, keys, identification, credit cards, and cash – before leaving her in the stairwell. They later used the stolen keys to enter her Meatpacking District apartment building. After the attack, the victim left the stairwell of 54 Eldridge Street and sought help. She was taken to a hospital for treatment. Members of the NYPD’s Manhattan Special Victims Squad apprehended the defendants in Brooklyn the next day.
Assistant District Attorney Amanda Goun and Assistant District Attorney Jennifer Gaffney, Deputy Chief of the Sex Crimes Unit, are handling the prosecution of this case under the supervision of Assistant District Attorney Armand Durastanti, Chief of Trial Bureau 40; Assistant District Attorney Martha Bashford, Chief of the Sex Crimes Unit; and Executive Assistant District Attorney John Irwin, Chief of the Trial Division. Paralegals Erin Drake and Hannah Wurgaft are assisting with the case.
District Attorney Vance thanked the NYPD’s Manhattan Special Victims Squad, especially Detective Madeline Acevedo, Lieutenant Austin Morange, and Sergeant Michael Bock, for their work on this case.
Defendant Information:
SANAT ASLIEV, D.O.B. 6/21/1998
Brooklyn, NY
Charges:
• Rape in the First Degree, a class B felony, two counts
• Burglary in the First Degree as a Sexually Motivated Felony, a
class B felony, one count
• Burglary in the Second Degree, a class C felony, two counts
• Robbery in the Second Degree, a class C felony, one count
EMANUEL BURROWES, D.O.B. 11/14/1998
Brooklyn, NY
Charges:
• Rape in the First Degree, a class B felony, two counts
• Burglary in the First Degree as a Sexually Motivated Felony, a
class B felony, one count
• Burglary in the Second Degree, a class C felony, two counts
• Robbery in the Second Degree, a class C felony, one count
ERIC PEK, D.O.B. 8/31/1998
Brooklyn, NY
Charges:
• Rape in the First Degree, a class B felony, two counts
• Burglary in the First Degree as a Sexually Motivated Felony, a
class B felony, one count
• Burglary in the Second Degree, a class C felony, two counts
• Robbery in the Second Degree, a class C felony, one count
[1] The charges contained in the indictment are merely allegations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. All factual recitations are derived from documents filed in court and statements made on the record in court.