City Officer Assaulted Handcuffed Woman, Prosecutors Say

GREENWICH VILLAGE, NY — A city officer sexually assaulted a woman shortly after he arrested her and forced her into the assault by threatening her with additional criminal charges if she didn’t comply, prosecutors said.

John Lugo, a special officer with the city's Human Resources Administration, was arrested last week on charges that he coerced a woman and sexually abused her in May. DNAinfo was first to report news of Lugo's arrest.

In May, Lugo arrested and handcuffed a woman at an HRA center located in Greenwich Village, authorities said. The facility, located at 12 W. 14th St., has a job center and provides other resources, including SNAP benefits, to New Yorkers in need.

After handcuffing the woman for allegedly trespassing at the facility, Lugo groped the woman and forced her to perform oral sex on him by threatening her with additional charges if she did not comply, according to a criminal complaint filed against him. Details about what preceded the woman’s arrest were not available.

The city's Human Resources Administration, also known as the Department of Social Services, is primarily focused on distributing essential services to poor New Yorkers, such as connecting them with federal food assistance programs like SNAP. A small wing of the agency conducts "police operations." Peace officers employed in this HRA branch have the power of arrest, but do not carry guns and are not sworn members of the New York Police Department. Peace officers for the HRA are primarily tasked with providing security at HRA facilities. Lugo is a supervising special officer 1, or sergeant, with the HRA.

Lugo, 34, has worked for the HRA since 2012. He was suspended from the agency for 30 days beginning Sept. 20 while disciplinary charges are pending.

"The Department of Social Services takes the safety of our clients and staff members very seriously," spokesperson Lourdes Centeno said in a statement. "We will continue cooperating fully with the authorities in this matter and have taken and will continue to take appropriate action on this case."

Lugo's bail was set at $50,000 and he was released from jail after it was paid, according to prosecutors and jail records. He is next scheduled to appear in court in November. Lugo's attorney did not immediately respond to a phone message from Patch.

DNA info also reported that Lugo was previously arrested in 2008 on charges that he attacked a woman in the Bronx. Details about Lugo’s 2008 arrest were not immediately available, but he reportedly passed a background check before he began working as a special officer for the HRA. (For more information on this and other neighborhood stories, subscribe to Patch to receive daily newsletters and breaking news alerts.)

Image credit: Shutterstock