MANHATTAN, NY – Manhattan District Attorney Alvin L. Bragg, Jr. announced the indictment of Jose Espinoza, 62, for rape, sexual abuse, assault, and labor trafficking of an undocumented immigrant.
The abuse, which began in August 2017, occurred in a Flatiron building where Espinoza was the superintendent.
Espinoza coerced the survivor, a Paraguayan national with a special needs child, using threats and violence. He controlled her through demands for photographs and seized her passports. The abuse escalated to sexual assaults in front of her child.
After a breast cancer diagnosis in 2022, the survivor reported her ordeal to Bellevue Hospital social workers, leading to NYPD’s arrest of Espinoza in December 2023. Investigations revealed Espinoza’s surveillance tactics, including tracking her location and earnings.
Espinoza faces charges including first-degree rape and labor trafficking. District Attorney Bragg emphasized the office’s commitment to supporting survivors of such crimes.