Miami Herald

Miami-Dade jail officer gets 10 years for raping women he was monitoring on house arrest

- BY ARIANA ASPURU aaspuru@miamiheral­d.com

a Miami-Dade correction­s officer, Yulian Gonzalez’s job was to supervise inmates in the house-arrest program. But in at least three cases, he raped women he was tasked with supervisin­g, even threatenin­g to send them back to jail if they refused his advances.

For his crimes, Gonzalez will be headed to prison for a decade. He will also receive 10 years of parole and mandatory status as a registered sexual predator upon his release.

Gonzalez, 36, was arrested and charged with four counts of armed kidnaption ping and armed sexual battery in September 2019. He then faced additional charges in October 2019 after two more victims came forward.

Gonzalez pled guilty to charges regarding all three women.

His lawyer, Judd Aronowitz, said it was in his client’s best interest to take the deal and declined to comment any further.

Gonzalez was an 11-year veteran of the Miami-Dade Correction­s and Rehabilita­tion Department.

In August 2019, he was assigned to supervise a 43-year-old woman at home awaiting trial on a criminal charge, according to an arrest warrant.

The woman told police how he began to express romantic interest in her through text messages and forced her to engage in sexual activities during his home visits. He insisted she perform oral sex on him and threatened to send her back to jail if she refused.

He said, “I can make you disappear,” according to the arrest report.

Surveillan­ce footage and GPS systems also showed Gonzalez taking her to North Miami’s Nexx Motel in his department-issued car, police confirmed. This happened on four occasions, according to the arrest report.

In October 2019, a 26year-old woman told law enforcemen­t that Gonzalez was her appointed probaAs

officer when he raped her. She said he would force her to have sex with him during his court-issued mandatory home visits.

She noted the last time he raped her was one week before his initial arrest charges.

A third victim, 32, came forward and pressed charges against the former officer a few weeks later. Gonzalez was also in charge of monitoring her house arrest when he forced her to have

sex with him, according to the warrant.

Miami-Dade Correction­s and Rehabilita­tion Department Director Daniel Junior stated, “On behalf of MDCR, I am deeply saddened that the actions of one employee could tarnish the good work of the Monitored Release Bureau and the proud men and women of MDCR who dedicate their lives to ensuring the safety of the public.”

 ?? ZOLNIEREK Getty Images/iStockphot­o ?? Yulian Gonzalez, 36, raped three women he was tasked with supervisin­g, even threatenin­g to send them back to jail if they refused his advances.
ZOLNIEREK Getty Images/iStockphot­o Yulian Gonzalez, 36, raped three women he was tasked with supervisin­g, even threatenin­g to send them back to jail if they refused his advances.

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