A retired NYPD cop has alleged that she quite her job and a coveted assignment at the Yankees Stadium as she was repeatedly raped by her boss which left her mentally and physically bruised, the ex-cop claims in a Bronx Supreme Court lawsuit. The former cop has alleged NYPD Capt. Jeffrey Brienza of raping her time and again at workplace that started last year and continued for over a year.
According to the suit filed against Brienza and the city on Monday, he misused his position and power to satisfy his sexual desires, which forced the female officer to retire from the department. The woman also alleges that Brienza would regular make her perform oral sex on him.
Horrifying Experience
The lawsuit describes the harrowing tale of the 47-year-old retired NYPD officer. She has claimed in the lawsuit that Brienza first sexually assaulted her after work at a bathroom at the Bronx stadium in June 2020 and then continued to force himself on her for more than a year after that.
"There were times when I used to feel like it's unending," the ex-cop, who asked to remain anonymous, told the Daily News. "I would cry a lot of times. I would just wonder how am I going to get out of this. I saw no end. I felt so stuck ... I just felt so worthless and without any purpose."
The alleged victim was working at the 50th Precinct in Riverdale when she was offered a spot on the Yankee Stadium detail in March 2020. When she started the stadium detail Brienza tactfully placed her under his wing.
The 48-year-old Brienza then turned her into his driver and started making him do his person work. Brienza then started his repeated sexual assaults.
Soon the 20-year veteran started realizing that Brienza was stalking her into the bathroom.
"He grabbed me from behind around my waist," the retiree officer mentions in the lawsuit. "I grabbed him and I was peeling his hands from around my waist and I felt his grip tightening and at that point I realized what he was doing, so I said, 'No.' He said, 'Yes.'"
Brienza then allegedly made her perform oral sex on him, then pushed her up against a sink and raped her and left without a word, the female officer said.
"I was afraid. There was a lot of things going through my head. I was kind of blaming myself like maybe I could have yelled louder," she explained.
Mustering Courage
The officer was alter summoned by Brienza to his officer and was threatened to tell anyone what happened in the bathroom or she could land in trouble. The alleged victim said that she was afraid and kept quiet.
The alleged sexual assaults then kept on continuing for over a year when Brienza would force her to perform oral sex in his officer or car. "Everyone thinks he's a great guy. Everyone loves him. I was new to the Stadium," the woman said. "I was afraid to say anything because he's the captain."
If she "made herself unavailable for his sexual attacks," Brienza would give her less desirable assignments that he referred to as "piece of s--t posts," the court papers reveal.
Unable to bear the sexual assaults, the mother of three finally decided to resign and expose Brienza. "Supervisors in the NYPD have to stop viewing their subordinates as potential sex slaves," the woman's lawyer, Fred Lichtmacher said.
The woman is now fighting for justice and wants to see Brienza punished for his sex crimes.
"I couldn't even set foot in the building. It was just the strangest thing," she said. "It's literally like I couldn't move. I couldn't go. My heart was racing and I would be sweaty. ... Everyone was there but no one to talk to."
The NYPD said the allegations are under investigation and declined to comment on the lawsuit. The city Law Department said it would review the case when they're served. Brienza was transferred to the 25th Precinct a month after the woman first spoke to IAB.
