NEW YORK, NY — Survivors Law Project has filed a federal lawsuit against the New York Police Department (NYPD) for enabling and covering up a disturbing pattern of sexual violence by police officer Jamie Angelastro against a fellow officer.Plaintiff Meaghan Ciotti has served as an NYPD officer for more than 10 years. She claims in 2016 and 2017, Angelastro raped her repeatedly and used his position as her union representative to coerce her into a sexually abusive relationship, making her fear for her job security if she did not comply with his sexual demands.Ciotti eventually reported Angelastro’s abuse to various supervisors, the NYPD Internal Affairs Bureau, and the Police Benevolent Association, most of whom did nothing to help her and some of whom actively dissuaded her from continuing to report his ongoing abuse. One detective told her outright, “nobody likes to arrest cops, sweetie.”Two weeks after Ciotti formally reported Angelastro’s abuse, NYPD demoted her, blaming her mental health issues and her “history” with Angelastro.

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Ciotti has suffered lasting physical and emotional trauma from the NYPD’s callous indifference toward her abuse. She is scared of Angelastro and his powerful friends in the NYPD but is determined to seek justice.The case is Meaghan Ciotti v. City of New York et al, Case No. 1:23-cv-10279 in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York.Statement from Susan Crumiller, Co-founder of Survivors Law Project:“NYPD has a violent rapist named Jamie Angelastro freely roaming its halls. Instead of taking Ms. Ciotti seriously when she reported his abuse, NYPD blamed her while doing everything in its power to protect him. Our client has demonstrated incredible courage in standing up to her abuser and the powerful institution protecting him, and we are grateful for the opportunity to vindicate her rights under the Adult Survivors Act.”