Judge 'struck by the two sides' of L.B. man who drugged, raped woman

Dennis Edison’s hands once saved a drowning boy when no lifeguards were on duty. In 2009, they gripped the handlebars of a bike that he rode thousands of miles to raise money for a 6-month-old with a rare disease. But on Oct. 14, Edison’s hands sat tightly clenched in handcuffs behind his back as two officers led him into the courtroom.

“That side does not erase or forgive what you did that night to the victim,” State Supreme Court Justice Robert McDonald told Edison before sentencing him in Mineola. “…By your actions, you shattered the lives of two young women.”

Edison, 32, known by some for his good works in the community, was sentenced to 10 years in prison on Friday for drugging and raping a tourist who stayed in his West End apartment last year, after prosecutors said he lured the woman through a website that connects travelers with willing hosts.

McDonald found the Long Beach man guilty in August on felony charges of first-degree rape and sexual abuse after a 10-day trial. Nassau County District Attorney Madeline Singas said Edison’s sentence also includes a 20-year post-release supervision, and that he will have to register as a sex offender.

According to Singas, last Nov. 24, two female German tourists arrived at Edison’s Long Beach apartment. The women, both 21 at the time, met Edison through couchsurfing.com, and planned to spend several days at his home.

“They believed they would be staying with a fellow traveler, and as tourists, they were excited to be visiting New York and meeting new people,” Singas said at a news conference in Mineola after the sentencing, where she was joined by Long Beach Police Commissioner Michael Tangney and Jane Manning, director of advocacy for the National Organization for Women. “Unbeknownst to them, however, they walked into the home of a predator.”

Singas said Edison, who lived on Indiana Avenue, lied about his age on the website, and also misrepresented his location, claiming that he was in New York City. The first night of the tourists’ stay, Edison cooked dinner for the women, “allowing them to let their guard down,” Singas added.

The next day, Edison, a local bartender, prepared cocktails at his home for the women, who had described feeling disoriented afterward. Edison gave the victim another drink after her friend fell asleep, and she became disassociated from her surroundings, according to Singas.

The victim’s last memory was being led to a massage table in Edison’s bedroom, Singas said, and she was incapacitated and became unconscious, consistent with effects of GHB — also known as the date-rape drug — which is colorless and odorless. She woke up with her pants on, oil on her legs, and severe pain in her pelvic area, Singas added.

Singas said that forensic evidence confirmed the unconscious woman was raped by Edison, who had initially denied having sexual contact with her in a recorded conversation.

“She was attempting to piece together what happened,” Singas said. “Through forensic evidence, we know what happened. While she was unconscious, the defendant raped her.”

The women, who spent much of that day vomiting, left the next morning to find new accommodations in Manhattan. The two contacted the German consulate, and reported the crime to the New York and Long Beach police departments. The victim was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital, where she spoke to Long Beach detectives. Edison was indicted by a Nassau County grand jury, and later arrested at his home by Long Beach police last Dec. 22.

“This was a terrific job by Long Beach [detective] Jose Miguez and [Assistant District Attorney] Emma Slane. They worked extremely hard to get this conviction, which involved a victim living in Europe,” Tangney said. “Their quick action in the initial stages of the investigation — and the quick impaneling of a grand jury — took this menace off the streets before the victim went back home, and he has been in custody since and will remain in custody for a long time to come.”

Elizabeth Spratt, director of toxicology at the Westchester County Department of Labs and Research, testified at trial that the physical disassociation, pain and vomiting were consistent with ingesting GHB. Edison’s attorney, Aaron Goldsmith, told reporters after the sentencing that the sex was consensual, and that there was no objective evidence in regards to the alleged use of drugs.

“This truly was a matter of the complaining witnesses’ testimony versus [Edison’s] defense, so in that respect, that was most of what our defense was at trial,” Goldsmith said. “There was absolutely no evidence through toxicology or through evidence found at the scene that would indicate the presence of illegal substances or foreign matter.”

Before announcing the sentence, which included orders of protection against Edison for both women, McDonald said he was “struck by the two sides” of Edison. Though noting the man’s many friends, talents and past charitable acts, he said he “did not find [Edison] credible in the least.”

Also during the short court session, Slane, who prosecuted the case, read a letter submitted from the victim, in which the woman expressed the insecurity and trauma she is now forced to live with after being raped last year. Slane called Edison’s actions cowardly, and said the victim was drugged into a scenario “beyond what somebody could describe as vulnerable.” She added that since the crime, the woman has become “a more closeted version of herself,” and that Edison’s actions “stripped her of her dignity.”

After the sentence was read, Edison signed the orders of protection and was led out of the room, giving a casual nod to his several family members in attendance. Goldsmith said Edison plans to appeal the ruling and the sentence.

“Mr. Edison has a lot of wonderful virtues to his credit, despite obviously the offensive nature of the crime he was charged and convicted with,” he said.

Singas noted several other couch-surfing site users around the world that were raped — and one murdered — by their hosts in recent years, and said that staying in the home of a stranger while traveling poses serious dangers.

She added that drug-rape cases are difficult to prosecute because the victim has no memory of the crime, and because GHB is untraceable in the bloodstream after six to eight hours, but said that would not stop her office from holding such criminals accountable.

“I want to caution predators who think that they can get away with something like this,” Singas said. “…They will be brought to justice, we will investigate, we will prosecute, and we will send them to prison.”