In November, former Manhattan court juvenile counselor and admitted serial rapist Tony Simmons was presented with an insane plea deal of 10 years' probation and no prison time. But due to an outpouring of rage over the light sentence, the judge in the case tossed out the deal, and his new trial began this week. And it's already off to a bang, with the revelation that not only did Simmons rape a 15-year-old and sexually abuse two other teens—he also allegedly had sex with a 13-year-old in a courthouse bathroom. And he can't be prosecuted for it.
Simmons had already admitted to raping a 15-year-old and sexually assaulting a 15-year-old and a 16-year-old, when he thought he was getting his plea bargain. But prosecutors say those weren't the only times Simmons crossed a line with one of his wards: they claim he flirted with and ultimately had sex with the 13-year-old in a stall in the Manhattan Family Court building. But because the incident happened on Dec. 20, 2001, it cannot be prosecuted because of the statute of limitations. Nevertheless, prosecutors are hoping they'll be able to cross-examine Simmons about it.
Yesterday, one of the three girls he did admit to sexually abusing testified about Simmons and his seduction methods: he played the movie Meet the Browns for the girl, who was 15 at the time, and offered her cookies before attempting to kiss her. He also forcibly shoved his hands down her pants. Because he was "a man with authority, a man with a badge," as prosecutor Evan Krutoy put it, the young women were too scared to report the incidents immediately.
