Three men in town for Spring Break and the festivities surrounding Miami Music Week were arrested after allegedly brutally gang raping a college student in their room at the Fontainebleau. The young woman met the men at a pool party at the Shelborne Hotel.
Paul Thorington, 22, Anthony Albano, 23, and Ray Joseph Laranjo, 23, all from California, have been charged with sexual battery following the attack.
The 21-year-old victim, a criminology major in town for spring break, met the men at the Cadenza Luciano & Carl Craig & Frivolous Pool Party at the Shelborne on Wednesday.
"I had been at the pool party at the Shelborne that day, and we met this group of guys. It was me and my girlfriends," the victim told WSVN. "They seemed nice enough, and we had needed a place to put our purses. There were a lot of people at the party, and we didn't want to put our purses down."
Though the Shelborne and the Fontainebleau are more than 20 blocks away, she decided to return with the men to their room at the famed resort.
Once inside the room the men held her down despite her struggles.
"They were kind of taking turns on me, and somebody let my leg go, and I kicked him in the chest, and he backed up, and the other guy let go of my arm and they all started laughing at me," she said, "And I grabbed all my stuff and ran into the elevator, and there were two girls in there and they asked me if I was OK, and I was already crying and everything. They took me to the front desk."
Thorington, Albano and Laranjo have been denied bond, and made their first court appearance on Friday.
"The safety and security of any guest visiting the Fontainebleau is the number one priority of hotel security," read a statement released by the hotel to NBC Miami. "Fontainebleau is fully cooperating with Miami Beach Police on the incident but cannot comment on the case as it is an on going investigation."
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