A Queens, New York judge yesterday sentenced a Guyanese private eye to 32 years in prison, calling him a “diabolical conniver and sinister manipulator” who framed his ex-girlfriend for robbery after she accused him of rape.
According to various online media sources, Justice Richard Buchter tore into Jerry Ramrattan after he tried to bolster his plea for mercy by bragging about the help he had given law enforcement agencies as a confidential informant.
“Think about all the cases I made over the years, the rape victims I assisted,” Ramrattan said.
“The defendant is an architect of his own ruin,” Justice Buchter replied. “He deserves no mercy from me and he won’t get any.”
Ramrattan had been convicted of rape, conspiracy and perjury, the reports said.
The victim, Seemona Sumasar, told the judge that Ramrattan was so hell bent on revenge he wouldn’t have stopped until he silenced her forever.
“I think Mr Ramrattan would stop at nothing even if it meant my life,” Sumasar told Buchter, her voice trembling as she stared down her attacker. “You’re evil and you’re a sociopath and you need help. Maybe I’m going through this for a reason, that reason being that someone needs to put a stop to you and your madness. You are the kind of person that if you were let out on bail today, you would prey on another person.”
A spectator jumped up, pointed a finger at her, and screamed, “Liar!” before being escorted out of the courtroom.
Sumasar, 36, spent seven months in a Long Island lockup after Ramrattan, 39, cajoled and extorted witnesses to tell the police that his ex and her new beau, Vishnanauth “Elvis” Bandhu, had robbed them while flashing police badges on Long Island and in Queens, media reports said.
Sumasar, a one-time Wall Street analyst, was bound with duct tape and raped by Ramrattan in March 2009, during an attack at her Far Rockaway home, authorities said.
After being accused of robbery, she lost her restaurant business, her home went into foreclosure and her 12-year-old daughter was forced to move in with relatives.
Justice Buchter questioned how detectives could have bought the tale that Ramrattan made up for his accomplices, especially while the rape charges were pending.
All investigators had to do was look at the website Ramrattan kept for his business Most Wanted Inc where he promised that he could “fix anything, any time,” the judge noted.
“Is it really surprising that he would try to fix his own case?” Justice Buchter wondered. “You didn’t have to be Sherlock Holmes to wonder if something was fishy.”
According to the reports, Justice Buchter sentenced Ramrattan to 27 1/3 to 32 years in prison for rape, three counts of perjury, two counts of conspiracy, one count of tampering with a witness and three counts of falsely reporting an incident.
He also was ordered to pay thousands in fees and will be eligible for parole after 24 years, when he will be subject to 10 years of post-release supervision.
Ramrattan was convicted in November of raping Sumasar in the basement of her Far Rockaway home. The jury also found Ramrattan guilty of threatening one person and paying two others to lie and say Sumasar had robbed them in Queens and Nassau counties in 2009 and 2010, the reports said.
Speaking at his dramatic sentencing, Ramrattan maintained his innocence.
“I accept what happened to me today, but I know by no means it’s over,” Ramrattan said.
He vowed that he was “not done”.
“I maintain my innocence and plan on turning over motions and other paperwork about Ms Sumasar,” Ramrattan seethed before he was dragged away.
“I’m not done. I’m not done,” he raged.
During his rambling, pre-sentencing rant, in which he blamed the media for his woes, reports said, Ramrattan accused a Queens district attorney of hiding videotaped evidence in a law enforcement bribery case.
The DA replied he had no idea what Ramrattan was talking about.
His rant was interrupted by his own mother, who wailed so loudly that two court officers were ordered to carry her out of the court room. Afterwards she could still be heard from the hallway crying, “Jerry! Jerry!”
