By Jeremy Walsh
The Corona man who raped two women in 2007 and 2008 was sentenced last week to 23 years behind bars, the Queens district attorney’s office said.
Robinson Fana, 22, pleaded guilty to rape and criminal sexual activity in January. He was sentenced by Judge Gregory Lasak Feb. 24 to one 23-year term for each rape, which he will serve concurrently, the DA’s office said. Fana will then be subject to 20 years of supervised release when he leaves prison, the DA’s office said.
Queens DA Richard Brown hailed Fana’s plea because it spared his two victims from testifying in court.
Fana first struck early in the morning of Oct. 20, 2007, in Corona. He followed a 46-year-old woman from a restaurant and assaulted her at the intersection of 114th Street and 38th Avenue before dragging her into an abandoned basement, the DA said.
When Fana ordered the victim to perform a sexual act on him and she refused, he punched her repeatedly in the head and face and slammed her head into a wall until she gave in, Brown said. The woman was treated at a Queens hospital for a broken nose and other injuries to her head and face.
The second incident took place around 2 a.m. Jan. 26, 2008. Fana met a 27-year-old woman at a nightclub in East Elmhurst and took her outside for a walk, police said. When the pair reached the back of 23-31 94th St., Fana ordered the woman to perform a sexual act on him and repeatedly punched her in the face when she refused, the DA said.
Police arriving at the scene found the victim bent over a car and Fana standing behind her with his pants down. Fana was arrested at the scene.
The victim was crying and screaming, “Help me, help me, he’s raping me,” according to a criminal complaint filed by the DA’s office. The victim was treated at a nearby hospital for a broken nose and bruised eyes, lips and cheeks.
Reach reporter Jeremy Walsh by e-mail at jewalsh@cnglocal.com or by phone at 718-260-4564.
