QUEENS, NY – Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz announced the arraignment of Shahab Usman, charged with a series of violent crimes, including rape, assault, and robbery, targeting spas in South Richmond Hill.
Usman, 40, of South Ozone Park, Queens, faces severe charges, including first-degree robbery, assault, rape, attempted rape, criminal possession of a weapon, attempted sexual abuse, and menacing. Conviction on these counts could lead to a 25-year prison sentence. Queens Criminal Court Judge Earle-Gargan has scheduled Usman’s next court appearance for December 8.
The crime spree included:
- A December 2 incident where Usman allegedly entered a Liberty Avenue spa, assaulted an employee, and robbed the establishment while armed.
- On December 4, Usman reportedly raped an employee at gunpoint in a Jamaica Avenue spa, subsequently robbing her and other employees.
- Later on December 4, Usman attempted to rape another employee at a different Jamaica Avenue spa. During the attack, he fired his gun, injuring a patron in another room, resulting in paralysis from the waist down.
Assistant District Attorney Gabriella Malfi of the Special Victims Bureau is prosecuting the case, under the guidance of higher-level prosecutors in the Special Prosecutions division.
