3rd woman accuses former Hempstead Village police officer of rape, assault
The Village of Hempstead and its police department are among those named in a lawsuit accusing a former Hempstead Village police officer of alleged rape and assault. Credit: Kevin P Coughlin
A former Hempstead Village police officer is facing a third federal lawsuit accusing him of sexual assault and rape.
The $10 million lawsuit filed against the former officer last month joins two separate lawsuits by two other women also accusing him of rape. The lawsuits also name the Village of Hempstead, its police department and Police Chief Paul Johnson.
Jack Guevrekian, 50, of Kings Park, is accused of raping and assaulting the three women while on duty between 2015 and 2020. Each woman, described in their lawsuits as recovering addicts, is seeking $10 million.
Guevrekian no longer works for the police department and a village spokesman said Thursday police are investigating the allegations.
He was placed on administrative leave in 2020 while the police department reviewed the initial allegations in the first lawsuit. Village officials did not specify whether he was terminated.
Hempstead Village officials, the police department and Johnson have declined to comment on the specifics of the most recent case and previous allegations, citing the pending investigation.
The trio of lawsuits say Johnson knew of the officer's pattern of behavior and failed to take action on Guevrekian. The lawsuit also alleges other officers used their position to commit sexual assaults of other women while on duty.
The latest lawsuit filed in February by a Hempstead woman states Guevrekian befriended and groomed her after stopping her on the street, before eventually forcing her to commit sexual acts in his unmarked police car in the summer of 2019.
"This is a shocking and egregious case of rape and sexual assault," the lawsuit filed by Garden City attorney Charles Horn states. "The emotional and psychological damage to Plaintiff from the sexual assault and rape cannot be overstated: it has been profound and lasting."
The woman is named in the suit, but Newsday in general does not identify alleged sexual assault victims.
Similar lawsuits were filed by two other women in May 2020 and July 2021, alleging rape while Guevrekian was on duty.
Anthony La Pinta, Guevrekian’s Hauppauge-based attorney in the three lawsuits, declined to comment on any of the allegations.
"We are conducting a long-term investigation into these allegations and we are prepared to move forward in litigation," La Pinta said in an interview last week.
No charges have been filed by the Nassau County district attorney’s office. Newsday in July 2020 reported that the district attorney's office investigated the allegations and said it was closing its file on the case.
The village is not defending Guevrekian under its legal indemnity after he was sued individually and in his official capacity. Attorneys denied allegations against the village in a legal filing last week and said, "any alleged act by Jack Guevrekian was performed, conducted and done without the knowledge or consent of the village defendants."
John Asbury is a breaking news and general assignment reporter. He has been with Newsday since 2014 and previously worked at The Press-Enterprise in Riverside, California.
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