Sentence Handed Down In White Plains Rape

WHITE PLAINS, NY — The White Plains man who was accused of raping a woman on her way home from the train will be going to prison. Westchester County District Attorney Anthony A. Scarpino Jr. said Friday that Carlos Paute, 24, of White Plains, was sentenced to 14 years in state prison and 15 years' post-release supervision.

After which, he will have to register as a sex offender under state guidelines.

Paute pleaded guilty to first-degree rape, a felony, in December 2018.

At sentencing, Assistant District Attorney Michelle Lopez, chief of the Sex Crimes Bureau, read from the victim's impact statement which addressed Paute saying he "took away my worth, my privacy, my energy, my time, my safety, my intimacy, my confidence and my own voice until today."

She added, "I am a real person who went through torture. I am not a statistic or a nameless face on the street. I am your sister, your daughter, wife or your girlfriend. What happened to me was real."

Authorities said, around 11 p.m. Nov. 8, 2017, Paute followed his victim, who he didn't know, after she left the White Plains Metro-North train station.

She was walking on a footpath adjacent to the Cadillac dealership, which accesses an apartment complex on Rockledge Avenue.

As she turned onto Rockledge, she heard someone running up behind her and she turned in his direction.

Paute then grabbed her in a headlock, punched her and forced her to the ground, police said.

He continued to strike her and covered her mouth and nose.

Panicked and unable to breath, the woman stopped screaming.

At that time, despite repeatedly telling him "no," Paute rape her, police said.

He then threatened her if she ran away quickly.

Once he fled, she got dressed, ran home and called the police.

The woman was treated at Westchester County Medical Center for her injuries.

White Plains police led the investigation, and they arrested Paute a few days after the attack.

Get White Plains Patch’s daily newsletters and news alerts right in your inbox. Find and “Like” Hudson Valley Patches' Facebook Pages.