NEW YORK CITY — A man who pleaded guilty to two 2004 sexual assaults was sentenced to 25 years in state prison Friday, according to the Manhattan District Attorney's Office.
Elmo Rivadeneira, 32, pleaded guilty Nov. 2 to one count each of rape and attempted rape, after a pair of vicious 2004 attacks that started on West 28th Street about a month apart, the DA's office said.
“Cold cases are not forgotten cases, as our prosecutors’ dedicated pursuit of this conviction underscores," read a statement from District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. "I hope this sentence will provide some sense of closure to these brave survivors."
According to Vance's office, Rivadeneira attacked his first victim on Sept. 15, 2004, while she was walking to work on West 28th Street and Ninth Avenue.
He dragged her toward a black car, tried to force her inside, and when she fought back, repeatedly punched her in the face and knocked her unconscious, Vance's office said.
When she woke up, Rivadeneira and the car were gone, but he had left his cellphone at the scene, according to the DA.
On Oct. 31, 2004 of that same year, Rivadeneira allegedly attacked another woman, this time while she was leaving a Halloween party near West 28th Street and 10th Avenue.
He grabbed her, took out a knife, and forced her into a nearby park, before putting her in the backseat of a black car and driving her to an industrial area in Elizabeth, New Jersey, Vance's office said.
Once there, Rivadeneira allegedly raped the woman, robbed her, and drove away. She was forced to walk naked until finding a homeowner who called 911, Vance's office said.
Police were able to use forensic evidence from the cellphone, and Rivadeneira was later arrested an indicted.
The 25-year sentence will run concurrent with a 50-year rape sentence in Hudson County, New Jersey, which he is currently serving, according to the Daily News.
Attorney information for Rivadeneira was not immediately available.
