NYPD Officer Says Department Ignored Her Claims Of Sexual Harassment

LOWER EAST SIDE, NY — A Lower East Side police officer says she was victimized after she refused to take part in a threesome with her boss and his wife, according to legal papers filed this month.

And when Officer Maribel Sarante made an official complaint of sexual harassment, the NYPD refused to listen to her, she said.

She claims her supervisor in the seventh precinct repeatedly harassed her starting in 2015. Sarante reported it, but the NYPD's Office of Equal Employment Opportunity concluded that the claims could not be corroborated, she said.

Sarante filed a notice of claim with the city comptroller's office on March 21, the first step toward a planned $15 million lawsuit.

She said that her NYPD supervisor Sgt. Freddy Lopez invited Sarante to have a threesome with him and his wife, among other sexual advances, according to the notice of claim.

Sarante said Lopez also made lewd comments to other female officers.

When Sarante rebuffed Lopez, he and other colleagues retaliated by changing her assignments and work hours "to make her workplace intolerable," Sarante claims.

Her supervisors also allegedly made "false allegations" against her. She says that Lopez and others "created a hostile work environment for her" and "did nothing to protect her."

Sarante also reported an incident when Lopez reportedly joked about conducting "cavity searches" on the officers during roll call. She claims that Lopez put a plastic glove on his hand and said, "I'm here to do a cavity search. Who wants one?" before picking up two apples and one banana to form the shape of a penis.

Sarante says that she reported her complaints to the department on multiple occasions.

"The NYPD OEEO does not take complaints seriously," Sarante wrote in the notice.

"Sexual harassment is a big problem in the police department," Eric Sanders, Sarante's attorney and a former NYPD officer, told Patch.

Both Sarante and her supervisor continue to work in the seventh precinct, Sanders told Patch.

The NYPD declined to comment on Sarante's claims and referred Patch to the city's law department. A law department spokesman did not immediately respond to an email seeking additional information. Patch was unable to contact Lopez.

This post has been updated with additional information.

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