By Rebecca Henely
A Far Rockaway man who is accused of framing his ex-girlfriend for robbing two individuals while dressed as a police officer in Nassau County did so because he had been charged with raping her in 2009 and wanted to discredit her, her attorney said.
The Nassau County DA charged Ramrattan earlier this month with perjury, conspiracy and other charges. Brooklyn resident Terrell Lovell and New Jersey resident Luz Johnson also confessed they had allegedly been paid and coached by Ramrattan to lie and say Sumasar had attempted to rob them in Nassau County locations, the Nassau DA said. They were both charged with perjury Dec. 1.
The Queens district attorney also arraigned Jerry Ramrattan, 38, who most recently lived in Far Rockaway, on perjury, conspiracy and other charges Monday for allegedly paying a Jamaica resident to falsely say Seemona Sumasar, 35, formerly of Far Rockaway, had robbed him.
“His alleged actions resulted in her, a single mother, being incarcerated for more than six months as she awaited trial and the frightening prospect of spending a lengthy time behind bars if convicted of the trumped-up charges,” said Queens District Attorney Richard Brown in a statement.
Anthony Grandinette, Sumasar’s lawyer, said his client opened up a Golden Krust bakery franchise in Queens. In 2008, Sumasar met Ramrattan there, but she broke off the relationship in September 2009, Grandinette said. That same month, Ramrattan allegedly raped Sumasar, a crime for which he was formally charged, Grandinette said.
“He held her at bay, taped her hands, legs and mouth and held her for more than eight hours,” Grandinette said.
Ramrattan was released from custody for the rape charge on bail and since then he allegedly employed numerous others to claim Sumasar and others had robbed them while posing as police officers, Grandinette said.
The Queens DA said Ramrattan allegedly hired a Jamaica resident, Rajive Mohanlal, to call 911 on Sept. 15, 2009, and claim he had been robbed by Sumasar and a man named Vishwanaut Bandhu earlier that day at gunpoint at 183rd Street and Hillside Avenue. Mohanlal claimed both of them were dressed as police officers and repeated this claim in front of a grand jury Oct. 20, the DA said.
Police went to the scene and allegedly found a live round, the Queens DA said. As a result of this, Bandhu was arrested July 7 and an indictment was filed in Queens County Criminal Court charging Sumasar and Bandhu with first-degree robbery and related charges, Brown said. Sumasar was in custody in Nassau at the time.
On Dec. 2, Mohanlal allegedly confessed to a detective he had made false testimony because Ramrattan had threatened to have his family members deported, the DA said.
Ramrattan was arraigned Monday on charges of perjury, conspiracy, tampering with a witness and falsely reporting a witness, the Queens DA said. He was held without bail and forced to return to court Dec. 20.
Mohanlal was arraigned on similar charges Dec. 3 and was held on $50,000 bail and ordered to return to court Dec. 17, the Queens DA said.
Grandinette said that as a result of her imprisonment, Sumasar lost her business and her home is in foreclosure. She now lives elsewhere in the Queens area.
“This poor woman has been through hell and back,” Grandinette said.
Reach reporter Rebecca Henely by e-mail at rhenely@cnglocal.com or by phone at 718-260-4564.
