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Folarin Soluade, of Yonkers, was found guilty of burglary as a sexually motivated felony and public lewdness after duping his victim into allowing him into her Nepperhan Avenue apartment in Yonkers, fleeing, and later being caught fondling himself outside the scene in the parking lot of the building.
On Friday, Dec. 10, Soluade was sentenced to 12 years in state prison, followed by 20 years of post-release supervision. He had potentially faced life in prison.
Westchester County District Attorney Mimi Rocah said that at approximately 10 a.m. on June 24, 2020, Soluade knocked on doors in a Nepperhan Avenue apartment building in Yonkers attempting to gain entry.
Posing as someone who was there to fix a pipe, a female resident who did not speak or understand English allowed Soluade inside her apartment, believing he was sent by the landlord to do repairs on the bathroom.
Once inside, Soluade exposed himself by dropping his pants.
Rocah said that the woman screamed and ran into the hallway, but Soluade, who was still undressed, followed her and pinned her against the wall. As he tried to silence her and assault her, another resident intervened and Soluade fled the building.
Soluade was later seen in the parking lot fondling himself, which prompted a second woman to call the police. When members of the Yonkers Police Department arrived at the apartment building, the first woman also reported her attack.
In a victim impact statement submitted to the court, the first victim wrote: “At that moment I felt very vulnerable with a lot of fear. I had never experienced such a situation until that day... and this affected my life.”
“We will have zero tolerance for sexual abuse and misconduct of anyone,” Rocah previously stated. “The conduct in this case is especially outrageous because Folarin Soluade preyed upon an especially vulnerable victim. This verdict reaffirms that our system protects all individuals, regardless of their background.”
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