BROOKLYN MAN SENTENCED TO 180 YEARS IN TEN QUEENS ROBBERIES, FOUR OF WHICH INCLUDED SEX ATTACKS

Queens District Attorney Richard A. Brown announced today that a 20 year old Brooklyn man convicted of a series of ten robberies, four of which included sexual attacks, has been sentenced to a minimum period of incarceration of 180 years.

District Attorney Brown said, " The defendant was found guilty of a series of crimes that plagued this County over the course of seven months beginning in June 1996. His crimes were, for the most part, carried out against defenseless teenage girls at night and several involved vicious sexual assaults that traumatized his victims for life. He is the worst kind of predator and deserves to serve each day of this sentence."

The defendant, Rommie Banks, 20, of 345 Livonia Avenue, Brooklyn, was convicted in August of multiple counts of robbery in the first degree, sodomy, sexual abuse and other charges in connection with the ten crimes. He was convicted after a month long trial before Supreme Court Justice Sheri Roman who yesterday imposed consecutive sentences totaling an aggregate minimum of 180 years and an aggregate maximum of 360 years.

According to the testimony at trial, the defendant generally chose to strike at night and his victims were mostly teenage girls. In many cases he would approach the victim while riding a bicycle and, threatening the use of a gun, steal jewelry or money. In four cases he sexually assaulted the victims. The crimes took place between June 28, 1996 and January 10, 1997 when the defendant was arrested after robbing and sexually abusing an 18 year old woman near Jamaica Avenue and 108th Street. After the attack the victim gave a description of the defendant to the police officers of the 102nd Precinct and he was spotted on his bike on a nearby street and arrested.

Assistant District Attorney Karen Rankin of District Attorney Brown's Special Victims Bureau which is under the supervision of Assistant District Attorney Marjory Fisher, and the overall supervision of Executive Assistant District Attorney Gregory Lasak, prosecuted the case.