Flatiron Super Sentenced to 22 Years Prison for Rape of Woman

The heinous crimes of Jose Espinoza, the Flatiron District building convicted of the rape and labor trafficking of a migrant cleaning woman this past January have earned the 63-year-old monster 22 years in prison.

Espinoza’s sentence was handed down on March 11, by Judge Felicia Mennin in Manhattan Criminal Court. Mennin was first appointed to the court in 2008 by Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

The case, which is full of horrific details, came to public attention in January 2024, when Espinoza was indicted for rape, sexual abuse, labor trafficking and other related charges.

According to the Manhattan D.A., Espinoza was the building superintendent at 43 West 16th Street. Known as True North Flatiron, the 12-story residential building with 95-apartments has been managed by Pan Am Equities of 18 E. 50th Street since at least 2018.

Directly across the street from building stands the Church of St. Francis Xavier, which has featured a banner reading “Immigrants and Refugees Welcome Here” since 2016.

The crimes themselves extended over a six-year period, from 2017 to the spring of 2022 and were discovered only when the victim, who was then undergoing breast cancer treatment at Bellevue Hospital, told her story to a social worker there who subsequently informed authorities.

As reported by the Daily News, the victim was “an illegal immigrant from Paraguay”—an important distinction that highlights both how “undocumented” persons can be preyed upon and how, despite their immigration status, justice can be sought on their behalf.

Even in summary, Manhattan D.A. Alvin Bragg’s charges against the super were shocking:

“In August 2017, Espinoza offered the survivor–who also has a special needs child–money in exchange for sex if she agreed to clean apartments in his building. In 2018, Espinoza started to assault and beat the survivor and initiated a campaign of control by demanding she send him photographs over text so he could determine her whereabouts.”

“Espinoza escalated his control over the survivor through coercion, including ripping and taking her passports. He demanded a naked photograph of her daughter and threatened to share it if the survivor ever defied his orders.”

“Espinoza’s abuse became even more severe over time. In one instance, he forced the survivor to have sex with him in front of her daughter.”

At his arraignment, Espinoza pleaded not guilty and, over the objections of the D.A., was released on $200,000 cash bond.

Espinoza’s lawyer, Jospeh Caldarera, who also represented the super at trial, bolstered the not guilty plea, claiming that the victim had made false charges “in hopes of improving her immigration status.”

“Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned,” elaborated Caldarera. “She is mad that my client would not leave his wife for her, so making a criminal complaint against my client will kill two birds with one stone—change of immigration status and revenge.”

His client having been convicted, all that was left was sentencing.

Were there any circumstances Espinoza could offer that might elicit mercy from the court?

Espinoza’s precise biography is unclear. Photographs taken in court show him wearing translation headphones, indicating the language of his fluency—like that of his victim—is Spanish.

Espinoza is described as being married, with three children, and his ability to make bail, and hire a private attorney, suggest he has some financial means. Indeed, despite the charges against him, Espinoza maintained the support of friends and family, with Judge Mennin receiving more than dozen letters on his behalf.

When passing sentence however, the barrister sternly rebuked these letters, stating that Espinoza’s family was “clearly deluded” to consider him a good man.

“Good family men do not cheat on their wives, enslave other women, install them in their homes where they can exercise ultimate control over them and rape them,” retorted the judge.

The victim had her own sentencing letter imploring the judge to show no mercy. Read in court by Manhattan Assistant District Attorney Jonathon Junig, the woman collapsed upon hearing the words, “Because of this bastard, I’m struggling to continue with my life normally.”