Former College Student Rejects Plea Deal In False Rape Case

FAIRFIELD, CT — The former Sacred Heart University student accused of falsely reporting being raped by two former football players at the school will go to trial after rejecting a plea deal for the second time, according to the Connecticut Post. Nikki Yovino, 19, of South Setauket, Long Island, was arrested last February after Bridgeport Police say she recanted her original story, which alleged that the two men raped her in a basement bathroom at a house party on Lakeside Drive in Bridgeport on Oct. 14, 2016.

Yovino, who was 18 at the time of the incident, has been charged with second-degree filing a false report and tampering with evidence. A jury trial has been tentatively scheduled to begin on Feb. 21, according to the Post.

Yovino’s attorney told the Post that they are eager to take the case to a jury and said there’s “much more to this case” than has been reported.

Yovino was denied a pretrial probation program by a Superior Court judge in October that could have led to a dismissal of the charge. She faces up to six years in prison if convicted and has rejected plea deals of two years in prison (by prosecutors) and one year in prison (by a judge), according to the Post.

Yovino initially reported to Bridgeport Police in October 2016 that she was sexually assaulted by a Sacred Heart University football player and another man who was a former student.

Police say they conducted a thorough investigation and met several times with Sacred Heart administrators.

"Initial statements from witnesses and evidence recovered from the scene suggested that a sexual assault had occurred," Bridgeport Police said in a press release following the arrest. "As the investigation continued, the case detective received more information that contradicted Yovino's statements to police. This information included new witness accounts, text messages and cell phone video. Yovino was confronted with this evidence, and admitted that she, in fact, did have consensual sex with both males."

Read more on Wednesday’s court appearance at the Connecticut Post here.

Photo via the Bridgeport Police Department