Man Posed As Nurse, Kidnapped And Abused Westchester Woman: DOJ

NEW YORK — A New Jersey man who posed as a nurse is charged with kidnapping and abusing women in the NYC metro area, including Mount Vernon and the Bronx.

Damian Williams, the U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of New York, and Edward A. Caban, the Commissioner of the NYPD, announced this week that a grand jury in Manhattan federal court returned an eight-count indictment charging New Jersey resident Herman Calvin Brightman, a/k/a "Nazir Griffiths," a/k/a "Nazir Luckett," with kidnapping, interstate travel to commit domestic violence, interstate communication of a threat, cyberstalking, and interstate stalking.

"As alleged, for over a year, Herman Brightman preyed upon woman after woman using the internet to lure these women into meeting and dating him and posing as a nurse or nurse practitioner to gain their trust," Williams said. "He then quickly became physically abusive towards them, going so far as to kidnap the women at knifepoing and threaten to kill them. Today's charges put a stop to this abusive and violent behavior. We thank and commend the courageous women who came forward to report Brightman."

According to court documents, from January 2022 to September 2023, Brightman used Facebook and the dating application Hinge to meet, and sometimes date, several women under false pretenses. He often used an alias and posed as a nurse or nurse practitioner working at NYC-area hospitals, even sending photos and videos of himself wearing scrubs and lab coats, and creating false IDs for himself.

Soon after he began dating his victims, Brightman began to act violently towards them, especially if they attempted to end the relationship, police said. Between January 2022 and September 2023, he brutalized at least four women, according to law enforcement

In November 2021, Brightman, through Facebook, enticed a Mount Vernon woman into a romantic relationship. Between January 2022 and July 2022, he assaulted her on multiple occasions during their relationship, according to court documents.

In July 2022, Brightman traveled from New Jersey to Mount Vernon and forced at knifepoint the woman who had recently decided to break up with him and her two-year-old child to travel from Mount Vernon to Brightman’s home in New Jersey, prosecutors said. Once they arrived at his residence, Brightman threatened to kill the woman if she "made any problems" and literally held onto her for an entire evening to prevent her from escaping, according to court records.

She eventually did escape the next morning and was able to contact police after she convinced Brightman to let her leave his residence temporarily. Police arrived and were able to rescue both the woman and her child.

In August 2023, Brightman brutally attacked a Queens woman he had been dating in her home and held her at knifepoint, NYPD officials said. During the attack, he threatened to "gut" the woman "like a fish," according to the accusations. Brightman is also accused of also binding her hands and attempting to tape her mouth.

Around one week later, the woman ended her relationship with Brightman. Over the next 24 hours, he called the woman over 20 times, including from blocked numbers, police said. On one phone call, Brightman repeatedly threatened the woman, according to the evidence presented.

In September 2023, Brightman traveled from New Jersey to the Bronx, and used his phone to lure a third woman he was dating to his car, police said. While in his car, Brightman forced the Bronx woman to call the Queens woman, prosecutors said in court filings. He then punched the Bronx woman, leaving a bruise on her arm, the documents contend. When she attempted to escape, Brightman chased after her and put her in a choke hold, officials said.

She was able to escape into her building and call the police.

A few days later, Brightman returned to the Bronx to confront the woman at her job. During the confrontation, he repeatedly asked the woman if she had contacted the police. Brightman then followed the woman home where he assaulted her again, pushing her to the ground and throwing a traffic cone at her, according to the federal indictment.

In late September 2023, Brightman again traveled to the Bronx and convinced a fourth woman, who had previously ended their relationship, to allow him into her residence. Inside her home, he assaulted and strangled the woman, leaving her with bruises on her neck, police said. Brightman also repeatedly threatened to kill the woman and attempted to rape her, according to law enforcement.

She was eventually able to escape with the help of a friend.

If you have been victimized by Herman Calvin Brightman, a/k/a "Nazir Griffiths," a/k/a "Nazir Luckett," or have any additional information about his alleged illegal behavior, you are asked to contact the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of New York at 1-866-874-8900 and reference this case.

30-year-old Brightman, of West New York, New Jersey, was charged with:

• one count of kidnapping a minor, which carries a minimum sentence of 20 years in prison and a maximum sentence of life in prison;
• one count of threatening physical harm by interstate communication, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison;
• one count of cyberstalking, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison;
• two counts of kidnapping, which each carry a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison;
• two counts of travel in interstate commerce to commit a crime of violence, which each carry a maximum sentence of five years in prison; and
• one count of travel in interstate commerce to stalk, which carries a maximum potential sentence of five years in prison.

Williams praised the work of the NYPD, Task Force Officers assigned to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of NY, and the Complex Analytics and Social Media Enhancement Team at the NY/NJ Hight Intensity Drug Trafficking Areas office for their work on the investigation. He also thanked the Bronx District Attorney's Office, the Queens District Attorney's Office and the Ocean County District Attorney's Office in NJ for their assistance.