A New York man and his New York criminal defense attorney will have their case heard by a grand jury.
The Associated Press reports that Michael J. Abdallah, 26, was arrested two weeks ago on charges of "second-degree rape, unlawful imprisonment and custodial interference." Allegedly, he kept a 13-year-old girl in his home from July to December. The girl (a runaway) told police that Mr. Abdallah had sexual intercourse with her over a hundred times. She also alleged that Mr. Abdallah forced her to babysit his 1-year-old son.
His New York criminal defense attorney, Frank Bogulski claimed that the girl invented the story of sexual abuse because she did not want to be blamed for the baby's injury. The police were questioning her about burn on the infant's hand when she told them about how Mr. Abdallah was treating her.
According to CNN, Mr. Abdallah's New York criminal defense attorney said that, "the girl testified that she was not held hostage... and our witness, an ex-girlfriend, said she never saw any inappropriate contact." Mr. Bogulski also remarked that the fact that his client's bail, which was increased from $250,000 to $500,000, was "ridiculous."
Mr. Abdallah's New York criminal defense attorney also claimed that the girl's mother told him that "her daughter went back home on several occasions."
Based on a criminal complaint, police allege that the girl was kept prisoner "behind dead-bolt locks and doors with no doorknobs." CNN also reports that Mr. Abdallah could be charged with possession of a weapon. The exact weapon was not mentioned.
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