A 35-year-old Southeast man—who news agencies said resides at the home of Putnam County District Attorney Adam Levy—is facing two felony counts of first-degree rape in connection with an October 2010 incident, according to officials.
Investigators from the Putnam County Sheriff's Office arrested Alexandru Ionut Hossu at about 10:30 p.m. Wednesday on a warrant from the Patterson Justice Court, authorities said in a statement Thursday.
"The complaint alleges that the defendant forcibly raped the victim twice on Oct. 24, 2010, when she was 12 years old," the release states. "The case came to the attention of authorities only recently, after the victim reported the alleged rape to a school counselor. The victim, who is now 15, and the defendant reportedly knew each other."
According to officials, Hossu is a Romanian national who is here illegally, and living at 70 Indian Wells Road in Southeast.
Documents from past elections list 70 Indian Wells Road as Levy's address.
Laurie Mainey, confidential assistant at the Putnam DA's office, provided a prepared statement—noting that Putnam's lead prosecutor requested the Westchester County district attorney's office step in, "owing to the fact that Mr. Levy knew the person"—when Patch called Thursday evening.
When asked if Hossu lives at Levy's residence, Mainey said "not right now," but "at one time, yes." She could not provide exact timing but said "it's been quite a while"—at least six months—and the arrangement was short-lived.
This LoHud.com article by Shawn Cohen and Marcela Rojas identified Hossu as Levy's "live-in personal trainer" Thursday afternoon. That was changed to "former live-in personal trainer" in an updated version of the story.
The statement from the Sheriff's Office thanked caseworkers from the Putnam County Child Advocacy Center and members of the Westchester district attorney's office, and noted that a "conflict preluded the Putnam County district attorney's office from involvement in the investigation."
Hossu, who has worked in the area as a personal fitness trainer, was arraigned before Patterson Town Justice Anthony R. Molé, who ordered him to give up his passport, and sent to the Putnam County Correctional Facility on $50,000 cash or $100,000 bond bail. Federal Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials have reportedly lodged a detainer warrant "for potential immigration proceedings."
"This was a vicious crime committed against a little girl,” Putnam Sheriff Donald B. Smith said. “I thank our sheriff’s investigators and deputies, the Child Advocacy Center team and the Westchester County District Attorney’s Office for their assistance in bringing the alleged perpetrator to justice.”
Levy, who is the son of television personality Judge Judy, is serving his second term as DA.
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"He became known as a voice for those victims who were too afraid to come forward, or too young to understand," Levy's online biography states, referring to his time as an assistant district attorney in Suffolk County, early in his legal career. "The experience shaped the type of attorney Adam Levy would become."
