Customs Officers Indicted In Newark Airport ‘Rape Table’ Assaults

NEWARK, NJ — A pair of U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers have been indicted and another has pleaded guilty for their alleged roles in the assaults of two male CBP officers at Newark Liberty International Airport, prosecutors announced Tuesday.

The accused officers allegedly held the others down against their will on a “rape table” and grinded on them in simulated sex acts, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office (New Jersey).

The accused officers were part of the Passenger Enforcement Rover Team (PERT), a specialized unit at the airport that identified and intercepted passengers attempting to bring contraband into the United States, or who might be associated with terrorist activities, prosecutors said.

Parmenio I. Perez, 40, of Hawthorne, and Michael A. Papagni, 32, of Staten Island, New York, were charged by indictment on Tuesday with two counts of forcibly assaulting, impeding, intimidating, and interfering with two CBP officers, identified in court documents as “Victim One” and “Victim Two,” while the victims were engaged in their duties as CBP officers.

Perez and Papagni will be arraigned at a later date, prosecutors said.

Tito Catota, 38, of Lyndhurst, pleaded guilty on June 4, before a U.S. District judge in Newark federal court to two counts of forcibly assaulting, impeding, intimidating and interfering with “Victim One” and “Victim Two” while they were engaged in their duties as CBP officers.

Perez, Papagni and Catota were originally arrested and charged by complaint in September 2017.

• See related article: Weird, Abusive Hazing Took Place At Newark Airport, Customs Officers Say

According to prosecutors, Catota, Perez, and Papagni were employed as CBP officers at Newark Liberty International Airport at the time of the alleged assaults and were assigned to the PERT, which maintained an office on the second floor of Terminal C at Newark Airport.

Prosecutors said:

“Victim One was assigned to PERT in October 2016. Within the first two weeks that Victim One worked in PERT, Papagni allegedly advised Victim One that the PERT office table was known as the ‘rape table’ and threatened the victim that he would get him on it.”

One of the alleged assaults took place in January 2017, prosecutors said:

“On Jan. 10, 2017, an individual identified in court documents as ‘CBPO 2’ shut off the lights in the PERT office. Papagni, Catota, and another officer identified as ‘CBPO 3’ grabbed Victim One’s arms and legs and threw him on top of the PERT office table. While Papagni, Catota, and CBPO 3 held him down, Perez got on top of Victim One’s mid-section and grinded his body up and down against Victim One’s genitals through the victim’s clothing in a motion simulating a sex act. Victim One unsuccessfully attempted to push Perez off his body. When Perez got off of Victim One, Papagni, Catota, and CBPO 3 released him.”

Prosecutors said that another assault allegedly took place in November 2016:

“On Nov. 30, 2016, Victim Two, who was assigned to the Port Director staff, went to the PERT office to speak to CBPO 1. A few minutes later, an officer identified as “CBPO 4” locked one of the doors to the office. Catota, Papagni, and Perez then grabbed Victim Two and threw him on his side on the PERT office table. Perez then allegedly simulated a sex act on Victim 2’s leg. Victim Two struggled to get free until Catota, Papagni, and Perez eventually released him.”

At his plea hearing, Catota admitted that he and other CBP officers referred to the tables in the PERT office as the “rape table.” Catota also admitted helping grab Victim One and Victim Two, throwing them on the tables and holding them down while they were attacked, prosecutors said.

In addition, Catota also admitted that he and other CBP officers discussed the assaults on the Whatsapp chat message service, prosecutors stated.

“For instance, on Dec. 7, 2016, Catota stated that another CBP officer had ‘walked out on the rape’ when referring to the assault of Victim Two,” prosecutors said.

While no clothing was removed during the hazing episodes, there were several weird and sexually abusive elements, the accusing officers previously told NBC New York:

• An officer allegedly mounted one of the new hires and "rode him like a horse"
• An officer alleged that the "Party Boy Song" from the MTV shock series "Jackass" played in the background during one assault

"Hazing wouldn't do this justice… This is complete assault," one of the victims told the station.

The charges against Perez, Papagni and Catota each carry a maximum potential penalty of eight years in prison and a $250,000 fine, according to prosecutors.

Don’t forget to visit the Patch Newark Facebook page here. Send local news tips and correction requests to eric.kiefer@patch.com

Photo: Shutterstock/MariaSW