By Stephen Stirling
Queens DA Richard Brown said 37-year-old Eric McCoy of 147 Beach 26th St. was arraigned Friday in Queens Criminal Court after posing as a police officer when he approached three women, one of whom was just 15 years old, and allegedly raped two of them. Brown said McCoy was charged with predatory sexual assault, first-degree rape, coercion and first-degree criminal impersonation – charges that, if convicted, could land him between 25 years to life in prison. “This case is a reminder for people to make certain that anyone calling themselves a law enforcement officer – especially if they are not wearing a uniform – shows official identification,” Brown said. The three incidents occurred Dec. 4 and Jan. 2, both in southeastern Queens, according to authorities. On Dec. 4, Brown said that McCoy allegedly approached a 27-year-old woman as she exited a bus near the corner of Rockaway and Sutphin boulevards in South Jamaica, produced an ID and said he was an investigator. Brown said while McCoy was questioning the woman, he allegedly planted a bag of marijuana into the victim's bag. Authorities said when McCoy later took the bag and pulled out the marijuana, he allegedly spoke into a walkie-talkie, giving the woman the impression that he was speaking to other officers. The DA said as the woman began to panic, McCoy allegedly threatened to shoot her before taking her by cab to the Airport Motor Inn at 153-99 Rockaway Blvd., where he said he and other officers would question her. At the motel, McCoy allegedly beat her with a belt and forced her to have sex with him under the threat of arrest, according to Brown. After McCoy allegedly raped the woman, he told her to walk home as he got into a cab and left the scene, according to authorities. About a month later on Jan. 2, Brown said McCoy allegedly approached a 15-year-old girl on the corner of Beach 25th Street and Seagirt Avenue, presented similar identification and told her he was investigating an assault. After McCoy allegedly questioned the girl and once again spoke into a walkie-talkie, he told her to wait in front of a laundromat to avoid arrest, according to authorities. Suspicious, the young girl went into the laundromat and had a woman call police, according to Brown. McCoy fled the scene, but two hours later allegedly approached another young woman, 17, at the corner of Main Street and Union Turnpike, where he went through a similar false investigation with the victim, according to the DA. Brown said McCoy allegedly took her to the Kew Motor Inn at 139-01 Grand Central Parkway, threatened to shoot her and told her she wouldn't see her parents anymore.As in the previous incident, McCoy is then alleged to have forced the teenager to have sex with him under the threat of arrest. Reach reporter Stephen Stirling by e-mail at news@timesledger.com or by phone at 718-229-0300, Ext. 162.
