Vagrant bust in Midtown rape

A homeless career criminal has been charged with raping a woman in a Midtown office building early Wednesday.

Thomas Powell, 34, was charged with rape and sex abuse in the attack on a 28year-old woman in a 10th- floor stairwell of 257 W. 39th St. between Seventh and Eighth avenues at 12:30 a.m.

Both Powell and the victim were trespassing, police sources said.

Powell, who has a total of 18 prior arrests, most recently on charges of selling and possessing syntheticmarijuana cigarettes, was intoxicated when he attacked the victim, pushing her down a flight of stairs and then raping her, police sources said.