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Read the press release here.

West Village Rapist Sentenced to 20 Years in Prison

By Andrea Swalec | March 12, 2013 12:54pm
 Confessed West Village rapist Ivan Ramos was sentenced to 20 years in prison on March 12, 2013 for an April 2012 attack.
Confessed West Village rapist Ivan Ramos was sentenced to 20 years in prison on March 12, 2013 for an April 2012 attack.
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MANHATTAN — A rapist who confessed to attacking a woman in an outdoor stairwell on Perry Street last year was sentenced Tuesday morning to 20 years in prison followed by 20 years on parole.

Brooklyn native Ivan Ramos, 22, was convicted of rape, a criminal sexual act and assault after he pleaded guilty to the April 15, 2012 crime. He told a New York State Supreme Court judge that he attacked his victim, 29, after telling her he was a "neighborhood watchman" who could help her get home.

The victim said in court that Ramos "should not be allowed the opportunity to destroy another life."

"I do not want this man to hurt another woman. He is a violent threat to society and does not deserve to walk freely through the streets again," she told the judge.

"I feel as though my life has been divided into two distinct parts: the person I was before the attack and the person I am now since it occurred." 

Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance said Ramos deserves the 20-year sentence.

“This was a vicious assault on a trusting young woman,” Vance said in a statement. “The defendant made his victim believe that he was helping her but instead he tricked her when she was vulnerable and then attacked her."

Ramos confessed to approaching the woman, who had lost her cell phone and cash, about 6 a.m., according to the DA's office.

He offered to help her withdraw cash so she could pay for a cab. When the woman asked to be taken to the nearest police precinct, Ramos led her to the exterior stairwell of a Perry Street apartment building and raped her with his hands covering her mouth, according to the DA's office.

Neighbors heard the woman's muffled cries during the 15-minute attack and called police, who found Ramos pulling up his pants. He was later found to have been caught on surveillance video.

Ramos was previously due to be sentenced on Jan. 23, but he argued through his attorney that he had been "coerced" into accepting a plea deal.

In his statement, Vance expressed gratitude to everyone who helped catch and prosecute Ramos.

"I thank the people involved in apprehending the defendant, as well as those whose hard work ensures that this individual will be off the streets of New York for a very long time," he said.