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Franeisha Patterson, 25, of Newburgh and Cally Graham, 19, of the Bronx, were convicted Jan. 25, on multiple felony charges, in connection with the December 12, 2017, forcible rape and sexual assault of a teenage girl in a Newburgh apartment., said the Orange County District Attorney's Office.
Patterson and Graham were both convicted of rape and the criminal sexual act, both felonies, said the DA's Office.
In addition, Patterson was convicted of use of a child in a sexual performance,
“Forcible rape and sexual assault are despicable crimes, under any circumstances,” said District Attorney David Hoovler, “but to participate in crimes like that, while they’re being committed against a trafficked teenager, and while they’re being recorded, that conduct sinks to another level of depravity.”
Two other participants in the crime, Franiqua Patterson and Daniel Wapples, previously pled guilty to felonies in connection with the crime.
Franiqua Patterson pled guilty to sex trafficking with respect to the victim of the rape and another victim. Wapples pled guilty to the rape. Both are pending sentencing
The rape victim was, at the time, a 15-year-old runaway who had been sex trafficked by Franiqua Patterson for approximately a month before the rape occurred, the DA's Office said.
On December 12, 2017, the victim went to Franeisha Patterson’s apartment in the City of Newburgh, where all four defendants were present. Franeisha Patterson ordered the victim to have sex with her boyfriend, Graham.
Similarly, Franiqua Patterson ordered the victim to have sex with her boyfriend, Wapples. Both women repeatedly made those demands, despite the victim’s refusal to comply.
Wapples forcibly raped the victim, while Graham forcibly orally sodomized her. Franiqua and Franeisha watched the crime from a nearby couch, while Franiqua recorded the crime on her cellphone, the DA's Office said.
The victim cried during the incident, and the four defendants repeatedly yelled at her, laughed at her, and cursed at her.
Hoovler thanked the City of Newburgh Police Department for their efforts in the investigation and prosecution of the case.
Both face a maximum of 25 years in prison. The use of a child in a sexual performance charge carries a maximum of 7-1/2 to 15 years in prison.
They are scheduled to be sentenced April 30.
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