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U.S. NEWS Wednesday 13 March 2019
New York, feds join to get 100K rape kits tested around US

By JENNIFER PELTZ Vance, who took office af-
Associated Press ter New York City cleared
NEW YORK (AP) — Lan- its own testing backlog,
guishing evidence in over and the Department of
100,000 sexual assault cas- Justice's Bureau of Justice
es around the country has Assistance have worked in
been sent for DNA testing tandem since 2015 to help
with money from a New other places tackle theirs.
York prosecutor and feder- The two agencies have
al authorities, spurring over paid to send years-old
1,000 arrests and hundreds kits to labs from dozens of
of convictions in three states and communities,
years, officials say. ranging from Flint, Michi-
It's estimated that another gan, to Mobile, Alabama,
155,000 or more sex assault to Las Vegas.
evidence kits still await test- One of those kits sat untest-
ing, and thousands of re- ed for 15 years in Tracy Rios'
sults have yet to be linked case, though she'd given
to suspects. Many who police the name of the
have been identified can't then-friend she accused
be prosecuted because of of luring her into a vacant
legal time limits and other apartment and sexually
factors. assaulting her in 2002 in
Still, the effort is a start at Tempe, Arizona. Police said In this Sept. 12, 2018 file photo, Manhattan District Attorney, Cyrus Vance, Jr., speaks to reporters
correcting "an absolute they couldn't charge him after a hearing in Manhattan criminal court in New York.
travesty of justice," Manhat- based on her word, and Associated Press
tan District Attorney Cyrus then she underwent a rape
R. Vance Jr. said Tuesday kit exam, but the investiga- Some cities have mobilized backlog between 2000 from the start — he was
while releasing results of tion soon stalled, she said. on their own to test years- and 2003. Vance, a Dem- a family friend — but her
his $38 million investment in "I lost faith in the system. I old rape kits. ocrat elected in 2009, of- rape kit wasn't tested un-
testing — all outside his own thought they didn't care," But the big grants from fered other places money til Vance's grant program
turf. she said Tuesday. A mes- Manhattan and Washing- to attack their own back- helped Michigan wipe out
"That backlog not only un- sage was left for Tempe ton "infused this movement logs and negotiated dis- a 3,400-kit backlog.
dermined justice and the police about the case. with resources," says Ilse count rates with labs. The woman, now 19, says
perception, and reality, Two years ago, she was Knecht of the Joyful Heart His program — financed she was initially angry when
of equality — it also made told her rape kit had finally Foundation, a sexual as- with $38 million from settle- authorities told her they
every woman and every been tested, with money sault victims' advocacy ments in banking-related were ready to prosecute
American less safe," he from the Manhattan DA's group. cases — dispatched more three years after the as-
said. office, and police were The backlog built up over than 55,000 rape kits to test- sault. She'd gotten on with
Law enforcement and law- pursuing her case anew. decades, partly due to the ing labs. The results have her life, helped by coun-
makers have faced grow- "It was amazing to know I cost of tests that can run yielded 186 arrests and 64 seling. But she ultimately
ing calls in recent years to was going to get justice," $1,000 or more. convictions to date, with agreed to testify, and her
eliminate what's known said Rios, whose attacker is But victims' advocates also more investigations and attacker pleaded guilty
as the rape kit backlog — now serving a seven-year say many sex assault cases prosecutions still underway, and was sentenced to up
swabs and samples col- sentence for sexual assault. simply got sidelined over according to Vance's re- to 30 years in prison.
lected in sex assault cases The Associated Press gen- the years by police and port. "I feel proud of myself" for
but never tested for DNA. erally does not identify prosecutors who unduly In Battle Creek, Michigan, going forward with the
Victims' advocates see the people who say they have disbelieved or downplayed arrests included a suspect case, the woman said
untested kits as signs that been sexually assaulted un- victims' allegations. in the 2013 sexual assault of Tuesday. And she doesn't
sexual assaults weren't tak- less they agree to be identi- New York City worked a 14-year-old girl. feel scared to walk around
en seriously enough. fied, as Rios did. through a 17,000-case Authorities had his name town anymore.q

Feds charge Georgia woman

with supporting cyber caliphate

NEW YORK (AP) — Federal She agreed to be trans- Prosecutors said Vo recruit-
prosecutors in New York an- ferred to Manhattan for fur- ed members to the group,
nounced charges Tuesday ther proceedings. including a minor from Nor-
against a woman accused Her defense attorney, Ken way, to assist in hacking
of recruiting cyber support- Crowder, declined to com- efforts, and also did edit-
ers to an online group that ment on the charges. ing and translating for the
published "kill lists" on be- The FBI said in court filings group.
half of the Islamic State. that Vo joined an online She contacted the FBI on
Kim Anh Vo, 20, was ar- group called the United Cy- at least three occasions
rested in Georgia and ap- ber Caliphate that spread beginning in July 2017 say-
peared in federal court propaganda on behalf of ing she wished to speak to
in Augusta on charges of the Islamic State group and law enforcement, accord-
conspiring to provide ma- called on supporters to kill ing to federal court filings.
terial support to a terrorist thousands of Americans in She was then interviewed
organization. so-called lone wolf attacks. by FBI agents.q