By Ivan Pereira
A Richmond Hill man faces up to more than a decade in prison for not only robbing a Kew Gardens laundromat but also sexually abusing its workers after taking their money, the Queens district attorney said.
Eugene Mazzio, 52, of 129th Street, pleaded guilty to two counts of criminal sexual act Nov. 1 in the robbery that took place last year, Queens DA Richard Brown said. Mazzio admitted to stealing $500 from a Laundromat on Metropolitan Avenue and then forcing two female employees to perform oral sex in a backroom, according to Brown.
“The offense, which the defendant has admitted, is a crime of violence that poses a serious threat to public safety and, under the circumstances, the lengthy prison term to be imposed by the court is more than warranted,” he said in statement.
The incident took place on the afternoon of Nov. 23, 2009, when Mazzio entered the shop and brandished what appeared to be a gun and demanded money, Brown said. After the two female workers complied, he forced them into the back, ordered them to take off their clothes and perform the sex act, according to the DA.
He left the establishment with the money and the women’s clothes and cell phones, the DA said. The police arrested Mazzio later in the day and found the clothes, some of the money and an imitation pistol that he used during the robbery, according to Brown.
Acting Supreme Court Justice Robert Raciti scheduled a sentencing date for Dec. 6 and indicated that Mazzio would be given a 16-year prison term, Brown said. The defendant would also be required to have 20 years of post-release supervision and register with the state’s sex offender list, according to the DA.
Reach reporter Ivan Pereira by e-mail at ipereira@cnglocal.com or by phone at 718-260-4546.
