A married NYPD lieutenant is accused of sexually assaulting and threatening a subordinate and forcing her into threesomes in a new lawsuit.
Ammy Ventura, a 40-year-old single mother of two and Police Department civilian employee, worked in the Property Division of the NYPD handling case evidence when her supervisor, Widler Lucas, began romantically pursuing her in 2021, according to a lawsuit filed Tuesday in Manhattan Supreme Court.
NYPD officer harassment allegations
In February 2021, Ventura, who was also allegedly going through a divorce, became friends with Lucas, a 41-year-old NYPD lieutenant and integrity-control officer for department property. This is according to court records.
Ventura believed Lucas was divorced when they began dating in April 2021, according to her lawsuit. According to the lawsuit, the couple separated in September 2021 after Ventura developed an interest in another aspect of Lucas.
Immediately prior to their breakup, Lucas also allegedly invited Ventura on a trip to the Dominican Republic, where she discovered upon arrival that he had brought three other women with him and proceeded to largely ignore her.
The filing claims that Lucas continued to flirt with Ventura at work despite the fact that they were no longer dating.
NYPD officer faces lawsuit for sexual assault
The suit alleges that Lucas grabbed Ventura by the hair, dragged her behind his desk, and forced her to have oral sex with him while his office door was wide open in August 2022, nine months after their breakup.
Ventura was “paralyzed and powerless to stop the violent assault,” according to the lawsuit, even though it happened against her will. The complaint states that Ventura felt helpless to report Lucas’s inappropriate behavior while he persisted in telling her he wanted to have a threesome with her.
Court records claim that Lucas openly enjoys making Ventura feel uncomfortable while also knowing that she has no other options. As a single mother, Ventura lives in constant fear that her financial situation will worsen as a result of Defendant Lucas’ threats that he could terminate her employment given his position, according to the lawsuit.
In a statement, an NYPD representative said, Sexual discrimination is prohibited by federal, state, and local laws, as well as Department policies, and the NYPD takes all allegations of such conduct very seriously.
The NYPD thoroughly investigates all complaints it receives and provides a variety of reporting options, including anonymity, for NYPD employees.
The Department does not tolerate any form of discrimination and is committed to providing respectful work environments for our diverse workforce, the representative said, adding that the department was unable to comment further because the case is pending.
The city’s Law Department will review the lawsuit once it has been served, according to a spokesperson.
