Teacher identified by students as a pervert is exonerated. HE WAS THE WRONG MAN

Ara Muradyan went back to school on April 27, and he was really nervous.
However, the 27-year-old is not a student.
Muradyan, the Benjamin Cardozo High School English teacher accused of exposing and fondling himself in front of two female students near the school on October 20, 2005, was exonerated by the office of District Attorney Richard A. Brown on April 11th, and was reinstated at the school.
“I was really scared when the day started out,” he said.
Muradyan’s ordeal began when two female students on the Q-27 bus noticed a man in a black BMW leering at them through a lowered window, masturbating.
Nearly three weeks later, the girls told police that they recognized Muradyan as the suspect.
He was then picked out of a lineup at the 111th Precinct in Bayside by the two accusers, processed at Central Booking in Queens Court, and released on his own recognizance.
“It was scary going to jail,” said Muradyan. “I had never been in trouble with the law before, so it was the most terrifying experience of my life.”
Following his arrest, the Bayside resident — who drives a silver Honda — was reassigned to a school in Brooklyn.
Facing scrutiny from the press, as well as public and private humiliation, Muradyan quickly became depressed.
“Doctors prescribed pills, I walked the nights, lost in anxiety,” he said. “My family suffered … It caused a great deal of pain and embarrassment.”
At this point, he retained the legal counsel of Al Gaudelli.
Through it all, his family and fianc’ee, a teacher, stood by him.
“They believed in my innocence and knew my character,” Muradyan told The Queens Courier.
He also received moral support from his colleagues and United Federation of Teachers (UFT) president Randi Weingarten.
“This is America and there is always the presumption of innocence and due process,” said Weingarten. “What happened to this teacher is a painful reminder of the dangers of rushing to judgment.”
The process of Muradyan’s vindication began on January 19 when Rex Whitehorn, 36, a lawyer with offices in Great Neck and Whitestone, was arrested for fondling himself in a black BMW in front of a separate group of Cardozo students.
Despite this, Muradyan’s accusers insisted they had the right suspect, but when Gaudelli received a “bill of particulars” from District Attorney Brown’s office, he noticed that the girls, who had initially claimed that the incident happened at about 4:05 p.m., recanted, saying instead that it happened at 1:15 p.m. — a time at which Muradyan had been teaching a class.
Theresa Smith at the district attorney’s office then began her own investigation.
The results of that inquiry, which were shared with the Department of Education, found that “this was a case of mistaken identity…,” and the charges were dismissed.
“This is a classic example of an innocent person having his name and reputation dragged through the mud, only to be fully exonerated,” said Weingarten. “I am glad Ara Muradyan was quickly allowed to return to his teaching job after the Queens District Attorney dropped the charges… This is exactly why we insisted on having language put into our new contract to ‘make whole’ any educator who is falsely accused.”
“The district attorney found the mistake and corrected it,” said Muradyan. “I’m glad they could admit it and can now prosecute the right person.”
Now, nearly six months after his life was turned upside down, Muradyan has begun the long process of righting things.
“Everyone had open arms,” he said of his return to Cardozo, where he has been given new classes. “The English department put up ‘Welcome Back’ signs and wore ribbons in my honor. The kids were all so happy to see me.”
Muradyan, who had no comment when asked if he would file suit, estimates that his ‘nightmare’ has cost him tens-of-thousands of dollars.
As for his accusers, whose identity he doesn’t even know, Muradyan harbors no ill will, but says, “Their actions caused all this heartache and grief … they hastily accused someone they weren’t sure of.”