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A Miami-Dade correctional officer who has been with the department for 11 years has been charged with raping a woman he was supposed to be supervising while she was on house arrest.
Yulian Gonzalez, age 36, faces four counts of armed sexual battery and four counts of armed kidnapping.
According to the Miami-Dade State Attorney's Office, Gonzalez paid regular visits to the alleged victim's home during the course of his work as a case manager in the county's Monitored Release Bureau. The woman told police Gonzalez threatened to issue a violation of her house arrest and send her back to jail if she did not comply with his demands for sex.
Prosecutors say Gonzalez rented a room at the Nexx Motel near Liberty City and drove the woman there in his unmarked corrections vehicle. So as not to set off any alarms, Gonzalez tampered with the woman's ankle monitor, the State Attorney's Office claims. Investigators say text messages and surveillance footage from the motel support the woman's account. Gonzalez is charged in four separate incidents at the motel.
Daniel Junior, director of the Miami-Dade Corrections and Rehabilitation Department (MDCR), said in a statement that the arrest "should send a strong message that employees involved in these types of crimes will not be tolerated."
He added, "This investigation demonstrates our firm commitment to maintaining the public trust. We are saddened that the actions of one employee could tarnish the good work of the proud men and women of MDCR who dedicate their lives to ensuring the safety of the public."
If convicted of the charges, Gonzalez, who is being held without bond, faces life in prison.
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