Judge on Nassau police: They were 'duped'

A Queens judge Wednesday sentenced a Far Rockaway man to up to 32 years in prison for the rape and frame-up of his girlfriend and criticized the Nassau County Police Department for being "duped" into prosecuting the woman.

"You wouldn't have to be Sherlock Holmes to discover something was fishy," said Queens State Supreme Court Justice Richard L. Buchter of the way he said Nassau cops were manipulated into bringing robbery charges against rape victim Seemona Sumasar, who spent 7 months in jail.

"The [Nassau] police were duped by liars, of whom they had a right to be suspicious," said Buchter as he sentenced Jerry Ramrattan, who was once Sumasar's boyfriend, for raping her and then concocting a story that she committed robberies as a way to discredit her as a witness in the sex crime case.

A Nassau police spokeswoman declined to comment on the judge's remarks.

At his trial in November, evidence showed that Ramrattan, 39, planted phony evidence, recruited fake witnesses and convinced authorities that Sumasar, 37, was masquerading as a cop while robbing people.

The judge also said that Ramrattan's conviction was well-supported by the evidence, that he appeared to be an unremorseful schemer, a violent rapist and "diabolical," adding, "He deserves no mercy from me."

The judge then imposed the maximum sentence for rape, 25 years, as well as a 2- to 7-year sentence for perjury, to be served consecutively.

Ramrattan maintained his innocence before sentencing and said, "There's more to come."

Sumasar, who has a 13-year-old daughter, said she was gratified by Buchter's sentence, and that she blamed Nassau County police for what had happened to her.

She said after her release from jail that she lost her franchised Caribbean food restaurant business and her Far Rockaway home. Sumasar was born in Guyana and came to the United States in 1987.

"I'm not going to get it back," she said of her home and business.

About two weeks ago, Sumasar filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against the Nassau County and New York City police departments, seeking unspecified damages for her May 2010 arrest and the incarceration that followed. Nassau police and New York City officials had no comment on the lawsuit. The NYPD helped investigate one purported robbery.

The lawsuit filed in the Central Islip federal court alleges malicious prosecution and interference with Sumasar's relationship with her daughter because she was separated from her while in jail awaiting trial.

Nassau County Attorney John Ciampoli, whose office is handling the case, called the suit a "run-of-the-mill probable cause" case he's optimistic about winning. The question is whether police had sufficient reason to arrest her and in this case, they did, he said: "The Nassau police department has a very valid defense here."

Anthony Grandinetti of Mineola, one of Sumasar's attorneys, said she had "airtight" alibis. The alibi evidence included photos of her at the Mohegan Sun casino when one robbery took place, said Nick Brustin, another attorney for Sumasar, adding that the Nassau district attorney's office wasn't sued because of governmental immunity.

"This guy's actions undermine confidence in the entire justice system," said Grandinetti of Ramrattan.

With Patricia Kitchen

and Igor Kossov