Man Who Pretended To Be Plumber To Abuse Woman Sentenced

YONKERS, NY — The sexual predator who tricked a woman into allowing him into her apartment will spend the next 12 years behind bars.

On Friday, Westchester County District Attorney Miriam Rocah announced the sentencing of a Yonkers man who not only fooled the victim into allowing him into her apartment, but then exposed himself to her and later fondled himself in front of another woman after he fled the scene.

Folarin Soluade was sentenced on Dec. 10, to 12 years in prison. The 38-year-old will also have 20 years of post-release supervision. On August 17, following a weeklong trial, a jury found Soluade guilty of burglary in the second degree as a sexually motivated felony and public lewdness.

"We will have zero tolerance for sexual abuse and misconduct of anyone," Rocah in a statement announcing the verdict. "The conduct in this case is especially outrageous because Folarin Soluade preyed upon an especially vulnerable victim. This verdict reaffirms that our system protects all individuals, regardless of their background."

On June 24, 2020, at approximately 10 a.m., Soluade knocked on multiple doors in an apartment building in Yonkers. The victim, who did not speak or understand English, answered the door and allowed Soluade inside her apartment, believing he was sent by the landlord to do repairs on the bathroom.

Once inside, Soluade exposed himself by dropping his pants.

The victim screamed and ran into the hallway, but Soluade, who was still undressed, followed her and pinned her against the wall. During the attack, another resident intervened and Soluade fled the scene.

"At that moment I felt very vulnerable with a lot of fear. I had never experienced such a situation until that day... and this affected my life," the initial victim wrote in a victim impact statement submitted to the court.

Later, while in the parking lot of the building, Saluade was seen exposing himself and performing a lewd act in front of a second victim. She called the Yonkers Police Department.

When police arrived, the initial victim also reported her attack.