Former Miami Cop Ragusa Called the "Serial Rapist" Pleads to Deal
Did the Florida State's Attorney's office make the right judgement call when they allowed a rapist who was a police officer to take a plea bargin deal? Maybe they didn't feel the victims would be able to go through with a trial and discuss what happened to them on a witness stand in front of a jury. And yet, had the case gone to trial Ragusa would have received life in prison. He'll be out when he is forty-two, and have the ability to live a good portion of his life as a free man. But, for rape victims, it is not so cut and dry. They will forever live with the trauma and fear of what was done to them for the remainder of their lives. They already have and will live the "crime victims prison", a place where the mind replays the criminal act in ways none of us can imagine.
MIAMI -- A former Miami police officer accused of raping at least three women was sentenced Wednesday morning to 10 years in prison and 10 years of probation.
Michael Ragusa, 32, was off duty when he allegedly picked up the women while driving around in his police cruiser near his home in Miami Beach.
While he would have faced charges in connection with all three women, the State Attorney's Office said it was preparing to charge Ragusa in three other cases. However, in agreeing to the written plea, assistant state attorney Jorge Cueta said some of the victims were reluctant to testify.
"The victims in a lot of these cases have been traumatized enough and they don't want to expose themselves to a trial," he said.
Ragusa's attorney, Milton Hirsch, said Ragusa understood that a conviction could send him to prison for life.
"He understood that we had multiple cases, each with multiple counts," Hirsch said. "Conviction on any one count in any one case would mean life imprisonment. He realized that that's just not worth it."
Ragusa's parents were in court but declined to speak to reporters after Judge Rosa Rodriguez accepted the agreement. Email your comments to: http://www.murphymilanojournal.blogspot.com
- March 23, 2007: State Attorney Calls Miami Police Officer 'Serial Rapist'
- March 20, 2007: Miami Police Officer Charged With Rape, Kidnapping
(Source: Local10news.com)
