You are reading

Sex Offender Charged With Choking and Robbing Two Women in Their 70s in Queens

Richard Smalls (National Sex Offender Public Website)

Aug. 19, 2020 By Michael Dorgan 

A serial sex offender who served time for rape has been charged with choking and robbing two elderly women in their Queens apartment lobbies.

Richard Smalls attacked the women – both in their 70s – in two separate incidents that occurred within the last month, according to police.

Smalls, 58, has been charged with two counts of robbery, strangulation, and burglary, according to the Queens District Attorney’s Office.

The ex-convict allegedly attacked a 72-year-old woman on July 28 when he followed her into her apartment building in the vicinity of 64th Avenue and 98th Street, according to police. He grabbed and choked the pensioner while she was collecting her mail in the lobby before stealing her jewelry and cash that was worth around $500 in total.

Smalls allegedly struck again on Aug. 9 in the vicinity of Queens Boulevard and 67th Drive when he followed a 78-year old woman into her building lobby and – using the same tactic – choked and threatened the woman before making off with a number of packages that were in the lobby, police said.

The assailant, who lives in a homeless shelter in Brooklyn, is a registered sex offender and was convicted of raping a 39-year-old woman in 1981, according to the national sex offender website.

Smalls was behind bars again in 2003 after he attacked a 29-year-old woman in Rego Park and forced her to perform a sex act on him, police said.

email the author: news@queenspost.com

3 Comments

Click for Comments 
JMURPHY

I’m sure he didn’t mean it……poor soul is the victim of an unjust system. He might have been hungry and that was his way of asking for assistance. Erase the registry give them all a new chance!

Reply
Sara Ross

So he’s registered? That’s not going to stop him from committing crimes and didn’t stop him!! Lock him up forever. No bail, no parole, no chance of ever getting out!

Reply

Leave a Comment
Reply to this Comment

All comments are subject to moderation before being posted.


The reCAPTCHA verification period has expired. Please reload the page.

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Recent News

Fall fun in western Queens: Your guide to the best seasonal events

Aug. 29, 2025 By Jessica Militello

With beach days and summer BBQs behind us, the start of September rings in the start of magnificent Fall foliage, Halloween and more fun activities that come with the start of Autumn, including a list of Fall events in the area. From apple picking to seasonal ciders and more, there is tons to explore in the community. From Mystic Markets to scary movie meet-ups and more, here is a list of Fall events you do not want to miss.

A hidden gem in Sunnyside: Bistro Punta Sal blends Peruvian and Italian flavors

Aug. 29, 2025 By Jessica Militello

On a quiet street in Sunnyside, Bistro Punta Sal has its French doors wide open, letting the late August breeze emanate throughout the space, which is ornate with flowers, paintings and an array of tables and chairs for intimate dinners with friends or a romantic date night. The cozy restaurant, located at 45-51 46th St., is a hidden gem in the neighborhood that is just waiting to be discovered, as the sights and aromas of the restaurant invite guests in. 

Off-duty paramedic spots South Richmond Hill two-alarm house fire that injures nine firefighters, two civilians on Friday morning: FDNY

Nine firefighters were injured, two of them seriously, and two civilians sustained minor injuries during a two-alarm house fire in South Richmond Hill on Friday morning, but it could have been worse if not for the actions of an off-duty veteran EMT.

Paramedic Craig Biscuiti was driving to work when he noticed a column of thick black smoke and heavy flames coming from the first floor of a two-story home at 95-36 111th St. just before 7:10 a.m.

Astoria doctor sentenced to more than two decades in prison for rape and sexual abuse: DA

An Astoria doctor was sentenced to 24 years in prison on Thursday in Queens Supreme Court for raping unconscious acquaintances and sexually abusing hospital patients.

Dr. Zhi Alan Cheng, 35, of Broadway, pleaded guilty on June 30 to four counts of rape in the first degree and three counts of sexual abuse in the first degree in satisfaction of the consolidated indictments against him. He additionally entered an Alford plea to one count of sexual abuse. The defendant — a former gastroenterologist at New York-Presbyterian Queens Hospital — recorded the abuse of his unconscious victims with his cell phone in both his Astoria apartment and at the hospital.