A Georgia man was arrested this week nearly three decades after he allegedly invaded five women’s homes in Queens and brutally raped them— in some cases at gunpoint or with their children in the next room, according to authorities.
Michael Benjamin, 57, was cuffed Thursday morning after DNA evidence from a discarded cup linked him to numerous violent rapes in southeast Queens between 1995 and 1997, prosecutors and police sources said.
Benjamin was first apprehended on September 22 at his residence in Conyers, Georgia. Investigators collected his DNA from a cup he left inside the Rockdale County Sheriff’s Office and matched the sample to DNA evidence from the separate rape cases, Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz explained.
He was extradited to New York City on Wednesday and booked on charges including rape in the first degree, sodomy in the first degree, sexual assault in the first degree, and burglary in the first degree, prosecutors confirmed.
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### Details of the Alleged Crimes
More than 30 years ago, in July 1995, Benjamin allegedly broke into the home of a 24-year-old woman near 113th Road and 194th Street in St. Albans. He reportedly pulled a sheet over her head while raping her and then fled the home with cash and jewelry.
About a year later, in August 1996, Benjamin allegedly entered a home on 140th Avenue and South Conduit Avenue around 2 a.m. He covered a 27-year-old woman’s head with a jacket before raping her. He then went room to room, taking items from the home while threatening the victim not to look at him.
In a third incident, in September 1996, Benjamin allegedly raped a 21-year-old woman as she walked home near 131st Street and Hook Creek Boulevard. He reportedly grabbed her and forced her through a back entrance into her residence at gunpoint. Benjamin then shut off the lights and raped her as he threatened to kill her husband and child, who were home at the time.
In February 1997, he allegedly broke into the back of a home near 241st Street and 136th Avenue, holding a gun. There, he raped a 21-year-old and a 33-year-old woman. Authorities said he drank and ate food from the home before fleeing with cash and jewelry.
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### Arrest and Court Proceedings
On his way to court from a Bronx precinct—where the Special Victims Division DNA Cold Case Squad is located—Benjamin, described as bald and wearing glasses, screamed claims of innocence.
“I didn’t do this. I didn’t do none of this. What victims? I didn’t do nothing. I didn’t do this. What y’all talking about?” he yelled to reporters.
Benjamin relocated to Georgia sometime after the incidents, sources said. He was pre-indicted for the five rapes as a John Doe in 2002, which prevented the statute of limitations from expiring, allowing prosecution to proceed.
His attorney, Joseph Amsel, argued that the pre-indictment conflicts with the statute of limitations. “It would appear that most of this conduct, if not all of it, is well outside the applicable statute of limitations, which exists for a reason because it is fundamentally unfair to require somebody to defend themselves against the charge going back 30 years ago,” Amsel said. “The fact of the matter is, he denies the allegations wholeheartedly, and he’s looking forward to his day in court,” he added.
Records indicate Benjamin is already a level 3 sex offender after a July 1990 attempted rape conviction. He received five years’ probation for that case.
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### Current Charges and Next Steps
Benjamin was ordered held without bail at his arraignment on Thursday on a 17-count indictment in Queens Criminal Court.
“After several decades, this defendant will finally face charges of violently raping at least five women, some at gunpoint, between the years 1995 and 1997 in southeast Queens,” District Attorney Katz said in a statement.
“Although decades have passed, these cold cases were not forgotten. Thanks to the bravery of the victims, vital DNA evidence was gathered, which helped law enforcement identify the person responsible. It is never too late for justice, and I thank my prosecutors and the detectives for their work on this case.”
If convicted of the top charges, Benjamin faces up to 25 years in prison. He is scheduled to return to court on December 5.
https://nypost.com/2025/10/16/us-news/georgia-man-arrested-for-allegedly-raping-5-women-in-nyc-in-1990s/