In 2022, New York State enacted the Adult Survivors Act, providing sexual assault victims a one-year window to sue their abusers.
When the WNYC/Gothamist newsroom analyzed the more than 1,200 lawsuits filed in New York City under the act, it made a stunning discovery: more than 700 of them alleged sexual abuse at a single location: the women’s prison on Rikers Island. A months-long investigation revealed a pattern of sexual violence by jail staff, both past and present, and a profound indifference on the part of city leadership to investigate.
The plaintiffs are seeking nearly $15 billion in total damages, representing a massive liability for city taxpayers.
One story, in particular, exemplifies the systemic dysfunction at the jail. WNYC/Gothamist found that one guard, who went by the nickname “Champagne,” was identified in 24 lawsuits. The allegations against him spanned decades. We spoke with several women who say they were assaulted by Champagne. One woman, who was not pregnant when she entered jail, was treated at a hospital after a miscarriage that she said was the result of being raped by Champagne. No official questioned how she became pregnant in a women’s jail facility. Based on dozens of interviews and corroborating details across personnel records and social media accounts, we were able to confirm his identity, track him down in retirement in Pennsylvania, and lay out a pattern of alleged abuse and the lack of accountability.
Our reporting uncovered other troubling revelations. A guard who was recently charged with raping a woman in Queens while off duty was the subject of sexual assault allegations made by a former Rikers detainee. She had filed a report with New York prison officials and it was sent to Rikers officials within days, but it was ignored. Perhaps most ominously, our reporting showed that several jail guards currently employed at Rikers are the subject of allegations brought by former detainees. After our investigation was made public, the guards were quietly removed from shifts at the women’s facility.
This essential journalism was led by reporters Jessy Edwards and Samantha Max, our senior investigative editor Christopher Werth, our executive producer Ave Carillo and our producer Jared Marcelle. They approached the victims with care and thoughtfulness, and reported on their stories in a deeply humanizing way. Their work was presented as part of an extended, narrative episode of WNYC’s local news podcast, NYC Now. Stephanie Clary, Sean Bowditch and Audrey Cooper also contributed.
