Woman Sues NYC Saying Peace Officer Sexually Assaulted Her

GREENWICH VILLAGE, NY — The woman who police say was sexually assaulted by a city officer after he had handcuffed her is suing New York City and the officer in question for $5 million.

Laura Zilioli told authorities that a peace officer employed by the city's Department of Social Services sexually assaulted her in May while she was seeking help from the city agency. The officer in question, Sgt. John Lugo, has been arrested and charged with sexual abuse, coercion, and committing a criminal sexual act.

Zilioli is now suing New York City, the Department of Social Services and the Human Resources Administration accusing the agencies and the city of failing in their training and employment of Lugo. Zilioli is seeking $5 million in damages.

The city and the relevant agencies "had the duty to competently and sufficiently train … Sergeant Lugo in the protection of the rights of plaintiff under the Constitution," according to her lawsuit, which was filed this week. The experience caused her "severe emotional pain, embarrassment, distress and anguish."

Zilioli is publicly discussing her case because she wants to encourage other women to come forward and seek justice, her attorney Michael Rubin said.

“She is a brave woman who is not afraid to stand up for the rights of woman who have been sexually assaulted,” Rubin told Patch. “She has difficult believing that she is the first and only victim of this man and is encouraging other women who may have been assaulted by him to stand up.”

In May, Zilioli says she was visiting a branch of the city’s Human Resources Administration in Greenwich Village for assistance. The HRA, also known as the Department of Social Services, provides various services to city residents, and is primarily focused on distributing essential services to poor New Yorkers, such as connecting them with federal food assistance programs like SNAP.

While Zilioli was in the 14th Street office, she was arrested by Sgt. John Lugo, who said that she was causing a disturbance and that she refused to leave the office when requested. A small portion of the HRA conducts “police operations,” primarily to provide security at HRA facilities. These peace offices, like Lugo, have powers of arrest but do not carry guns and are not sworn members of the NYPD.

Zilioli said in a public affidavit that after Lugo handcuffed her, he took her to a private room where he asked other employees to leave. When the two were alone, Zilioli says, Lugo began touching her face and breasts without her consent, and eventually forced her to perform oral sex on him while she was still handcuffed.

“After I was released from custody later that day, I was terrified and unsure as to how to report this crime,” Zilioli said in her affadavit. “I was concerned about reporting to the police, a crime that had been committed by a police officer; I was afraid they would not take my complaint seriously.”

Zilioli later reported the incident to the Manhattan district attorney’s office, who, with the NYPD, launched a full investigation into the Zilioli’s report. As part of the investigation, Zilioli handed over the clothes she was wearing on the day of the alleged assault, on which investigators were able to find DNA samples, she said in her lawsuit.

Lugo, 34, was arrested in September. He remains in jail on a $50,000 bail. He has pleaded not guilty to the charges. Patch was not immediately able to contact his defense attorney for comment on the lawsuit.

Lugo has been suspended from the Human Resources Administration while the criminal case against him proceeds.

Zilioli told the New York Post, which was first to report on her lawsuit, that the incident left her constant fear.

“I feel like I see him everywhere," she told the Post. "I’m always looking over my shoulder."

A spokesperson for the city's law department said they were reviewing the suit.

“We have zero tolerance for this type of behavior at our city agencies and these are particularly troubling allegations,” the spokesperson said in a statement. “We are reviewing the complaint and will take appropriate action.”

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