Asylum seeker accused of raping woman in hotel in front of preschooler

August 10, 2023

Asylum seeker accused of raping woman in hotel in front of preschooler

A community in upstate New York has been left shaken by allegations accusing an asylum seeker of raping a woman in front of a toddler.

Jesus D. Guzman-Bermudez, a 26-year-old man from Venezuela, stands accused of committing the heinous crime in a local hotel room.

Guzman-Bermudez has been charged with first-degree rape, second-degree unlawful imprisonment and endangering the welfare of a child.

The alleged incident occurred in a hotel shared with 500 migrants on Genesee Street in Cheektowaga on August 2. He is accused of raping a woman in front of a three-year-old child.

Erie County District Attorney John Flynn commented on the case, revealing that Guzman-Bermudez and the victim were a couple.

"Even though, like I said, they were a couple, it still can be rape obviously if the facts warrant and so he was arrested and he was arraigned late Friday morning," Flynn said.

Guzman-Bermudez and the victim are both asylum seekers from Venezuela.

Out of the more than 500 asylum seekers housed in hotels near the airport, an undisclosed number have faced criminal charges.

Guzman-Bermudez could face up to 25 years in prison.