A Venezuelan national, who crossed the United States-Mexico border at some point, is now accused of raping a woman in front of a toddler in an Erie County, New York, hotel room.
Jesus D. Guzman Bermudez, a 26-year-old border crosser from Venezuela, has been arrested and charged in Erie County on one count of first-degree rape, one count of second-degree unlawful imprisonment, one count of endangering the welfare of a child, and one count of second-degree harassment.
According to prosecutors, Bermudez raped the woman on August 2 in a hotel room in Cheektowaga, New York, which sits in Erie County. Present in the room at the time, prosecutors allege, was a three-year-old child and the woman was known to Bermudez.
Erie County District Attorney John Flynn (D) seemingly downplayed the alleged rape, telling local media that Bermudez is one of 500 border crossers who have been bused to the county from New York City recently as part of a plan carried out by Mayor Eric Adams (D).
Since Adams’ plan was enacted, hundreds of border crossers have been bused to western New York communities — many without knowledge that the buses are arriving.
“Not sure if they’re married or not, but they’re definitely some type of couple. It wasn’t like an incident where this individual went out in town, grabbed some victim, and took them back to the hotel room,” Flynn said. “That’s not the case here. They clearly knew one another.”
Flynn also downplayed the incident by suggesting only four border crossers in Erie County have recently committed crimes, which he touted as a success.
“The first three were petty larceny, so very small crimes, minor offenses. This is obviously much more serious,” Flynn continued. “But four out of over 500, obviously, the vast majority over 95 percent are abiding by the laws and behaving.”
Meanwhile, local Republicans are blasting Flynn, Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz (D), and Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) because they have been supportive of mass migration to the region.
“This individual was welcomed to our community by far-left politicians and committed a heinous crime in front of a young child,” Erie County Republican Chairman Michael Kracker told the Buffalo News.
“Erie County residents have been lectured and maligned by Mark Poloncarz and Kathy Hochul for raising concerns about these illegal migrants coming to our community,” Kracker continued. “Now, we are dealing with the reality of allowing unvetted individuals into our community that make Erie County less safe.”
Bermudez is facing a maximum of 25 years in prison and is due back in court on Wednesday for a felony hearing. He is currently being held without bail.
John Binder is a reporter for Breitbart News. Email him at
