A prosecutor called the two city police officers accused of raping a Manhattan woman in 2008 as "New York's worst" during her closing arguments Tuesday.
Officer Kenneth Moreno is accused of raping a drunk woman in her Manhattan apartment in December 2008, and his partner, Officer Franklin Mata, is accused of acting as a lookout.
Prosecutor Coleen Balbert got off to an aggressive start, saying the officers went back constantly to the accuser's East Village apartment in order to sexually abuse her. She said the drunk accuser was incapable of consenting to sex.
"They had a pretty 27-year-old girl in that apartment who was drunk, alone and vulnerable," said Balbert.
During her five-hour summation, Balbert called the officers criminals, liars and a disgrace to the police department.
"The only thing that was honest about Officer Moreno's testimony was his name," said the prosecutor.
Defense lawyers admit the officers returned to the woman's apartment three more times, but they say it was only to check on her.
Moreno testified he was alone with the woman, but he said he only comforted her.
Mata testified he was asleep on the couch in another room when the pair was alone.
The prosecutor said there is no DNA evidence in the case because Moreno used protection. She told jurors, "You know Officer Moreno is not going to have sex with [the woman] without a condom. He would not be that stupid to do that."
The officers' attorneys said they are confident jurors will decide that no crime ever took place.
"That's what this case has been all about, a substantial amount of yelling, a substantial amount of name-calling and accusations. So I didn't expect anything different," said Joseph Tacopina, Moreno's attorney.
"The problem is, a crime didn't occur, and he didn't know about it, so there's no obligation to stop something that didn't happen," said Ed Mandery, Mata's attorney.
In his closing arguments Monday, Mandery suggested the accuser, who is suing the city for $57 million, is just looking for a payday.
The two officers also face several other counts, including official misconduct, falsifying records and burglary for entering the woman's apartment. They each face up to 25 years in prison if convicted.