MANHATTAN MAN PLEADS GUILTY TO MULTIPLE COUNTS OF ROBBERY AND SEXUAL ABUSE

Bronx District Attorney Robert T. Johnson announced today that a 27 year-old Manhattan man has been convicted on multiple counts of robbery and sexual abuse for a two-month long crime spree in the Spring of 2002.

Terrance Dancy, a mandatory persistent violent felony offender, of 267 West 152nd Street, New York, pled guilty to 9 counts of Robbery in the 1st degree, 1 count of Robbery in the 3rd degree and 2 counts of Sexual abuse in the 1st degree. Under the terms of the plea agreement, Acting State Supreme Court Justice Denis J. Boyle will sentence Dancy to a term of 23 years to life imprisonment when he appears for sentencing on Monday, July 21, 2003 in Part T4. This sentence is to be served concurrently with a sentence of 18 years to life imprisonment imposed in Manhattan Supreme Court. The incidents began on March 1, 2002 when the defendant approached his victims as they entered their building or while they were on the elevator. Dancy would brandish a knife and demand their money and jewelry. On two occasions, Dancy masturbated in front of his victims before fleeing. His victims ranged in age from 13 years old to 32 years old. An alert NYPD detective apprehended Dancy on May 16 2002 following an investigation. One of Dancy’s victims reported her metro-card to be among the things stolen from her. She told the police where she purchased the card and through using the serial number, the defendant’s whereabouts were tracked.

The metro-card was traced to an area where pawnshops were located. Detectives went to each shop asking if there had been an increase of pawns by one person. One such pawnshop had Dancy listed with eleven pawn tickets using his real name, address and telephone number. The defendant was arrested after being identified by one of his victims. In addition, DNA evidence also linked the defendant to the scene of one of the robberies.

Assistant District Attorney David Birnbaum of the Domestic Violence / Sex Offense Bureau prosecuted this case.