17 November,2010 12:28 PM IST | | ANI
An Indian-American man, Suraj Persaud, has been charged with raping two women after impersonating a police officer and threatening to have them arrested as hookers.
According to the Daily News, Persaud showed the women his guns, a bullet-proof vest and a PBA card before attacking them.
The 34-year-old accused faces up to 25 years in prison if convicted. He was held on Tuesday night on a 100,000 dollars bail.
The paper quoted Queens District Attorney Richard Brown, as saying that: "The offenses that he is charged with are crimes of violence that pose a serious threat to public safety."
According to prosecutors, on May 16, 2010, Persaud took a 29-year-old woman he met through a Craigslist ad to his Queens Village home and raped her after telling her that he was an officer. A week later, he brought home a 19-year-old girl who had offered a "massage" on the online classified ad service.
Persaud was arrested on May 24 this year after the 19-year-old victim complained to police. He was released on a 35,000 dollars bond and arrested again in July when prosecutors learned about the May 16 incident.
