Jun. 15, 2023 By Sarah Belle Lin
A Manhattan man was indicted Thursday for allegedly targeting a 14-year-old girl and drugging and raping her for months in hotels across Manhattan and Queens, Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg announced.
Michael Olson, 54, is charged with five counts of rape in the second degree, two counts of criminal sexual act in the second degree, seven counts of aggravated patronizing of a minor for prostitution in the second degree, one count of criminal sale of a controlled substance to a child, one count of endangering the welfare of a child, and one count of facilitating a sex offense with a controlled substance.
In a statement, Bragg alleged that Olson used drugs and money to engage in targeted and repeated sexual abuse of a child.
“My office is actively investigating these allegations and the potential that the defendant’s criminal conduct reaches much farther than the charges contained in today’s indictment,” he said.
The ongoing investigation has revealed that Olson was allegedly in extensive contact with multiple teenage girls.
Court documents and statements showed that, in December 2022, Olson found the victim’s Instagram profile and responded to a post she made about clothes. Olson then allegedly sent her a gift card for clothing and began to pay her to spend time with him. Over the next six months, the defendant “repeatedly raped the child, paying her approximately $700 a week to engage in sexual conduct in hotel rooms in Queens and Manhattan,” according to the DA.
Olson also allegedly took the child to Las Vegas, Los Angeles, and Miami by purchasing her airfare with her first name and his last name in order to portray her as his daughter.
He was arrested last month, when paramedics responded to a call of the child overdosing on drugs in a hotel room in Manhattan. Olson was allegedly present at the scene, where numerous narcotics were present, including cocaine, ketamine, and Xanax. The girl was transported to the hospital and recovered there.
There have been 650 rapes reported this year across New York City, according to NYPD crime statistics data. Rape crimes are currently down 9.5% year to date from 2022.
In a release, Bragg reiterated that his office’s Special Victims Division is fully equipped to support young survivors, with dedicated prosecutors and investigators working alongside specially trained social workers. To reach the DA’s office, call 212-335-3400.
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