Miami Police Officer Michael Ragusa Kidnapped and Sexually Assaulted Women. He Got 10 Years.

 

Miami Police Officer Michael Ragusa Kidnapped and Sexually Assaulted Women. He Got 10 Years.

Michael P. Ragusa was a Miami police officer entrusted with a badge, a patrol car, and the authority that came with both.

Then a woman reported that he had forced her into his patrol car in Miami Beach and attempted to rape her.

Investigators began looking deeper.

They uncovered two additional victims.

In February 2008, Ragusa pleaded guilty to charges including rape, kidnapping, and sexual battery.

He was sentenced to 10 years in prison, followed by 10 years of mandatory minimum supervision.

But the case also raised questions about how Ragusa became a Miami police officer in the first place.

Investigative reporting found that he had reportedly been rejected by six other law-enforcement agencies before Miami hired him. His background application allegedly contained omissions involving a volatile temper, stealing from previous employers, and paying for sex.

The fallout didn't end with his conviction.

The City of Miami faced multiple civil lawsuits connected to Ragusa's conduct, including a $550,000 settlement approved for one of the women he sexually assaulted.

Three women.

A police officer.

And a patrol car that one woman said became the place where the person wearing the badge tried to rape her.

Six other law-enforcement agencies reportedly said no to Michael Ragusa. Miami gave him a badge anyway. Women paid the fucking price.