Two former NYPD cops were sentenced to probation for sexually assaulting an incapacitated woman after a night out at a Bronx bar— as the survivor of the heinous crime urged others to report their stories, no matter the title of their assailant.
Julio Alcantara-Santiago, 40, and Christian Garcia, 32, were sentenced on Friday at Bronx Supreme Criminal Court after taking a plea agreement for the assault that unfolded on July 9, 2023.
Alcantara-Santiogo appeared visibly nervous in an orange blazer and pinstriped pants as he was sentenced to six years of sex offender probation.
Garcia sported a two-piece navy suit and glasses as he accepted one year of probation and was ordered to complete a behavioral treatment program.
On the night of June 8, 2023, the unidentified woman went out with co-workers at Zona De Cuba lounge in Grand Concourse, according to a victim impact statement she read aloud to the courtroom.
After going up to a rooftop area of the establishment and having some drinks, the next thing she recalled was waking up to being sexually assaulted by two men in a stranger’s home.
“The next thing I remember is slightly waking up in someone’s home. And then what hurts more is that I see two men over me and feel hands in certain parts of my body,” she said.
“I start to make movement so that the men can stop. I’m terrified and scared that if I say something or if they notice that I’m awake while they’re doing certain things, they will harm me or even kill me,” she told the courtroom.
She said she continued to lie there and fell asleep, and woke up the next morning, realizing she was still in the strange apartment near the lounge.
After desperately calling her sister and best friend for help, she escaped the home and decided to go to a local Bronx hospital to be evaluated. There, she was given a rape kit and spoke to multiple police officers, the victim said.
The two officers were arrested in April 2024 after surveillance footage helped connect them to the crime. Both cops were suspended without pay, the NYPD said at the time.
The survivor of the assault told the courtroom she has tried to stay strong the past three years, though the trauma of the incident has left her reeling.
“I waited about three years to finally put closure on something that I wish never happened to me or anyone else. I tried to think of something meaningful to say, but every time I hear both of their names, I feel nothing but anger and rage,” she told the courtroom.
“For almost three years, I have pretended to be someone I’m not. I had to pretend to be strong, pretend that I was healing, and I had to somehow pretend to keep everything together and under control, especially with my kids and family,” the woman continued.
“The truth is, I’m so terrified and have no trust in no one. The reality and the guilt I carry knowing that I allowed myself to welcome new friends in my life and took the opportunity to try to go out and have a good time, became my worst nightmare.”
She added that she decided to hold out hope despite believing that reporting two police officers with a positive outcome would be “against all odds.”
“I thought no one would believe me over them. I felt impossible, like I’m against all odds. But instead of giving up, I kept moving forward, and now I see the guilt was not only killing me, it was killing them as well. What they did was wrong, and finally, they have also came to the conclusion that what they did was wrong,” she continued.
“Now I will say to anyone, no matter how much evidence you have — a little, a lot, no matter how scared you are, no matter who the person is, a police officer, a doctor, do not be afraid of the title they hold, and never give up.”
“The ones who [were] supposed to serve and protect were the ones who failed me. And no matter what you take away from me, you will never take away my dignity,” the woman said.
After the powerful testimony, Judge Ralph Fabrizio thanked the survivor for recounting her story
“I want you to know your words are very important to me. You are a victim of a horrific crime,” Fabrizio said.
An order of protection was also granted for Alcantara-Santiago and Garcia.
Alcantara-Santiago was previously arrested for allegedly groping a woman at the Hard Rock Cafe in Yankee Stadium in September 2022.
Bronx prosecutors dismissed the case the same month after viewing surveillance footage of the incident.
If you have been sexually assaulted and live in New York, you can call 1-800-942-6906 for free and confidential crisis counseling. If you live outside the state, you can dial the 24/7 National Sexual Assault hotline at 1-800-656-4673.
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