floridatoday.com

Charges possible in N.Y. gang rape hoax
Updated 9/17/2009 2:52 PM ET
MINEOLA, N.Y. (AP) — A New York prosecutor is considering whether to pursue charges against a Hofstra University student who recanted claims that five men raped her in a dormitory.

Four of the five falsely accused were released Wednesday night. The fifth was still being sought when the hoax was revealed.

The woman first told police she was lured to the dorm and raped after her phone was stolen by a man she had met at a dance party. She later said the sex was consensual.

Standing outside the Nassau County jail waiting to be picked up by their parents, two of the vindicated men said they held no hard feelings.

Kevin Tavares said: "The system is supposed to prevent these things from happening."

Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Posted 9/17/2009 10:38 AM ET
Updated 9/17/2009 2:52 PM ET
Kevin Tavares, left, Stalin Felipe, center, and Rondell Bedward, right, talk to a reporter after being released from the Nassau County Jail in East Meadow, N.Y., on Wednesday.
By Frank Eltman, AP
Kevin Tavares, left, Stalin Felipe, center, and Rondell Bedward, right, talk to a reporter after being released from the Nassau County Jail in East Meadow, N.Y., on Wednesday.

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