Fury has erupted after a transgender illegal migrant who admitted sexually assaulting a 14-year-old boy in New York was sentenced to just six months in prison.
The plea agreement reached by the Manhattan District Attorney's Office with Nicol Alexandra Contreras-Suarez, a 31-year-old Colombian national, has been widely condemned as shockingly lenient.
Seth Zuckerman, who previously served as a prosecutor in the Brooklyn DA's Office and now works as a criminal defence lawyer, voiced his disbelief at the outcome.
"I didn't know you could get six months on this," he told the New York Post.
"It's generally a minimum of two and a maximum of seven, so I think something must be wrong here," Mr Zuckerman added, referring to standard sentencing for second-degree rape, the charge to which Contreras-Suarez entered a guilty plea on Tuesday.
"I have got clients charged in similar statutes who are not given the same opportunity to get such a favorable deal," he told The Post.
The defendant has already served the six-month term whilst held at the notorious Rikers Island jail since being taken into custody last February.
Mark Bederow, a defence lawyer who formerly prosecuted cases for the Manhattan DA's office and has extensive experience with rape trials, also criticised the arrangement.
Nicol Alexandra Contreras-Suarez pleaded guilty to second-degree rape
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"Traditionally, somebody who is preying upon a child, following them into a location and raping them that's a terrible crime," he stated.
Mr Bederow described the jail sentence as "extraordinarily low" and noted that Contreras-Suarez will receive credit for time already spent in detention when formally sentenced on April 27.
The defendant was also subject to outstanding warrants in other US states for violent offences at the time of the attack, which the defence lawyer suggested would typically work against securing such favourable terms.
"Normally, the minimum for this crime would be two years, unless there are circumstances found by the court, which they would put on the record, to allow a lesser sentence," he explained.
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District Attorney Alvin Bragg's office insisted the resolution came after close discussions with the victim's family
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District Attorney Alvin Bragg's office insisted the resolution came after close discussions with the victim's family, preventing the teenager from giving evidence before a grand jury and during what would have been a multi-day trial.
"We expect the defendant to remain detained and be deported following sentencing, due to the felony conviction," a DA spokesman said after Judge Michele Rodney approved the plea in Manhattan Supreme Court.
Jennifer Harrison, who founded the advocacy organisation Victims Rights NY, also condemned the outcome.
She said: "Let's not pretend this sentence reflects real justice. It doesn't.
The vile attack took place opposite Thomas Jefferson Park in East Harlem
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"It sends a dangerous message that even the most horrific crimes against children won't be met with the full weight of the law,."
The criminal complaint detailed how Contreras-Suarez, whilst walking a white Pomeranian, followed the victim into a shop toilet opposite Thomas Jefferson Park in East Harlem in February 2025 before carrying out the assault.
The boy alerted passers-by afterwards, leading to the defendant's arrest the following day.
The Colombian national entered the US illegally at San Ysidro, California in March 2023 but was permitted to remain into the country.
At the time of the Manhattan attack, the defendant was wanted in both New Jersey and Massachusetts and was subject to immigration enforcement detainers in those states.