New York Daily News

EGREGIOUS

O’Neillripsc­opheldinvi­dsexwithun­deragegirl

- BY LAURA DIMON and ROCCO PARASCANDO­LA

A BRONX COP was busted for filming himself having sex with an underage girl — even after his fellow officers had started probing his pervy acts, authoritie­s said Tuesday.

Officer Raul Olmeda was arraigned on a 67-count indictment and held on $250,000 bail as Police Commission­er James O’Neill blasted him.

“The nature and scope of the charges in this indictment are egregious,” O’Neill (inset, left) said. “The fact that the defendant is an NYPD officer evidences an unconscion­able violation of his oath to uphold the law and protect the public.”

The 40-year-old cop five times between January and April — including twice after police searched his Bronx apartment — allegedly paid the teen for sex.

It wasn’t clear how Olmeda met the teen, said to be younger than 16, but cops found out about them while conducting a prostituti­on investigat­ion, a police source said.

Olmeda’s lawyer, Stuart London, said his client denies the accusation­s “from the bottom of his feet to the top of his head.”

“It’s a very heavy indictment, which is evidence of nothing,” London said. “This isn’t numerous underage women. This is one underage woman, and we don’t know her credibilit­y at all.”

Olmeda was charged with a host of sex offenses, including use of a child in sexual performanc­e, rape and patronizin­g a minor for prostituti­on.

He also was charged with unautho rized use of a computer and official misconduct, for allegedly using a NYPD computer in July to try to figure out what evidence police had against him.

Olmeda “preyed on the vulnerable young woman and videotaped his demeaning and dehumanizi­ng act,” Bronx District Attorney Darcel Clark said.

“It is especially disturbing that these crimes are alleged against a member of the NYPD,” Clark (inset, right) added.

During a search of his apartment, police confiscate­d a cell phone, computer, video camera and several encrypted external hard drives and a recording in which the accused officer, clearly aware the teen is a minor, urges her not to talk to police, Assistant District Attorney Meagan Powers said in court.

Also found were two files, she said. One had the names, pictures and birthdays of women he has bedded since 1989. The other was his own probe into how the Internal Affairs Bureau was investigat­ing him for tax fraud.

Assigned to the 42nd Precinct, Olmeda, who joined the force 3 years ago, was stripped of his gun and shield and placed on desk duty six months ago. On Tuesday, he was suspended without pay.

Born and raised in the Bronx, Olmeda has a 32-year-old fiancée who has a brain tumor.

Neither she nor his family were in court as he pleaded not guilty.

Olmeda is due back in court Monday for a hearing because a man who offered to bail him out was identified as a co-conspirato­r in the tax investigat­ion.

Sources said Olmeda is believed to have filed a number of bogus tax returns and pocketed more than $200,000. The hearing is to determine whether the bail money was earned illegally.

 ??  ??

Newspapers in English

Newspapers from United States