NYC Ignored a Rikers Detainee’s Five Rape Reports. Now the City Is Paying $4 Million — and Officials Still Won’t Explain Why
For years, Terrence told jail officers exactly what was happening to him inside New York City jails: he was being raped — repeatedly, violently, and in full view of surveillance cameras that should have protected him. He filed reports. He named names. In two cases, he pointed investigators to video that later showed detainees entering his cell and leaving with evidence of a sexual assault on their clothing.
And every single time, the Department of Correction dismissed him.
Now, after five ignored rape allegations across three years and two jail complexes, the city has quietly agreed to pay the 32-year-old $4 million to settle three lawsuits — a massive acknowledgment of failure in a jail system already collapsing under violence, mismanagement, and federal scrutiny.
Terrence’s attorney, Josh Kelner, put it plainly:
“The Department of Correction failed Terrence.”
Investigators had evidence — and still did nothing
Terrence, whose last name THE CITY is withholding, alleged that he was raped on at least five occasions between 2019 and 2022 at the Manhattan Detention Complex and at Rikers Island’s Anna M. Kross Center.
Each time, he made official reports.
Each time, evidence existed.
And each time, investigators either ignored or discarded it.
In one case, surveillance footage showed another detainee shutting Terrence’s cell door before emerging minutes later with a visible wet stain on his pants.
A correction officer walked by during the attack — and kept walking.
Investigators still called the complaint “unsubstantiated.”
At Rikers, camera footage captured two detainees walking to the recreation yard just before another assault. Investigators again dismissed Terrence’s report, speculating that the encounter “may have been consensual.”
Terrence reported three more attacks in 2022 — including one inside a broken-lock cell and one inside a shower — but investigators claimed footage “expired” before they could review it, or declared allegations “unfounded” even when an accused attacker admitted entering the cell.
Not a single officer or attacker was disciplined.
The city pays — but no one is held accountable
The settlement, filed in Bronx Supreme Court, arrives as the city’s jail system faces the possibility of an outside takeover. Manhattan federal court Judge Laura Swain is currently reviewing candidates for a “remediation manager” who could assume control of large parts of Rikers operations.
The Correction Department declined to comment, directing all questions to the Law Department, which also refused to answer.
Kelner believes Terrence was targeted because he is gay and has developmental disabilities — making him especially vulnerable inside a jail system already notorious for unchecked violence and staff negligence.
The attacks occurred years after the city announced it had achieved compliance with the Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) — a milestone DOC leadership celebrated as proof of reform. Terrence’s case shows how hollow that claim was.
A PREA system built to protect — but weaponized to dismiss
Under PREA, jails are required to investigate sexual abuse reports, preserve evidence, and ensure detainees are protected from retaliation.
Terrence’s case revealed the opposite:
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Video evidence wasn’t preserved. Key camera angles were “lost,” “expired,” or never pulled.
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Staff failed to intervene. Officers seen walking past active attacks did nothing.
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Findings defied the evidence. “Unsubstantiated” became the default label, even when footage strongly suggested assault.
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Broken infrastructure enabled abuse. Terrence’s cell lock was malfunctioning during one rape.
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No assailants received consequences. Not one attacker or officer faced disciplinary action.
PREA, meant to be a protection, became a paperwork shield — a bureaucratic tool used to close cases instead of confront them.
Advocates say this isn’t unusual: PREA files often show patterns of investigators dismissing allegations without serious review.
Rikers’ crisis continues — and Terrence’s case is just one example
The city’s jails are currently drowning in allegations of violence, excessive force, preventable deaths, and unsafe conditions.
In just one year, detainee-related claims jumped 38%, according to city data.
Terrence’s settlement won’t fix a system that allowed him to be attacked repeatedly — but it exposes, in stark detail, the rot inside Rikers’ investigative culture.
Kelner summed up the case in words the city still hasn’t publicly answered:
“He relied on corrections officers to protect him. Instead, he was repeatedly victimized.”
