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Thursday, March 28, 2024 | Back issues
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Woman Alleges Cover-Up of Cemetery Rape

Fresh from a settlement with the state trooper she says raped her in a cemetery, a Pennsylvania woman now claims that other officers conspired against her.

SCRANTON, Pa. (CN) – Fresh from a settlement with the state trooper she says raped her in a cemetery, a Pennsylvania woman now claims that other officers conspired against her.

Faith Kintzel’s ordeal began, according to her latest complaint, when state trooper Stephen Kleeman charged her in April 2010 with harassment, apparently of an ex-boyfriend.

Kintzel notes that she had no criminal record at the time and appeared without representation at her June hearing on the charge.

With the instruction to for Kintzel to stay out of trouble and stay away from her ex-boyfriend, Kleeman allegedly said the charge against her would be dropped after 60 days.

Kintzel brought a federal complaint against Kleeman in 2013, however, over what allegedly happened after the hearing.

As laid out in her new lawsuit, filed on Dec. 16 in the Middle District of Pennsylvania, Kintzel says Kleeman lured her out to a cemetery and forced her to have sex. She says she “believed she had to comply with his commands because otherwise he might not dismiss the charges against her.”

Kleeman was allegedly in uniform, armed with a badge and handgun, during the encounter.

Kintzel’s new complaint says she settled with Kleeman this past October for about $12,000 plus the deed to a parcel worth approximately $10,000.

This figure is “far less than [Kintzel] would have received” if Kleeman’s fellow officers had not interfered against her, according to the complaint.

Kintzel brought the new complaint against commanding officer Dante Orlandi, Sgt. William Tucker, and a corporal and investigator with internal affairs.

Though Kleeman denied that he went to a cemetery, Kintzel says GPS records prove otherwise.

A footnote to the complaint specifies that he police department keeps “green logs” of where a police officer was during his shift.

“Defendants had the green logs destroyed and/or took no action to preserve them when they knew they contained highly relevant, material evidence,” the complaint states.

Later the complaint says: “The records of their investigation, including but not limited to Kleeman’s green logs, were necessary evidence for Plaintiff to prove Kleeman’s violation of her civil rights, inasmuch as they directly relate to credibility and liability, in turn affecting FK’s ability to recover damages.”

“Without the records of their investigation, Plaintiff would not be successful, or would be limited or otherwise impeded, in vindicating the violation of her civil rights and seeking redress in federal court,” the complaint continues.

Kleeman says Orlandi and the other police defendants ensured that no incriminating evidence made it into discovery for the 2013 case against Kleeman.

“In his November 23, 2011 General Investigation Report, Defendant Orlandi never mentioned the findings of the D.A. or the evidence of the thigh bruises ..., that its own office found Kleeman was lying about his whereabouts June 2, 2010 in finding Plaintiff’s allegations were not credible,” the complaint states. “In the report, the averments ... are not cited and Defendant Orlandi referred to an alleged oral statement by Sgt. Nichols challenging the accuracy of the GPS although this is not stated under oath or in any report. All of the foregoing was done in part or in whole to cover up the violation of Plaintiff’s civil rights.”

Alleging conspiracy and violation of her First and 14th Amendment rights, Kintzel seeks damages in excess of $150,000. The Cressona woman is represented by J. Michael Considine Jr., of Philadelphia.

A representative for the Pennsylvania State Police Department has not returned a phone call to headquarters seeking comment.

Categories / Civil Rights

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