A man and his girlfriend have been indicted on charges that they collaborated in attempt to bribe the victim of a violent sexual assault in order to prevent her from cooperating in his prosecution, Monmouth County Prosecutor Raymond S. Santiago announced on Wednesday.
Kareem Lee, 32, and Erin Logan, 31, both of Keyport, have each been charged with second-degree conspiracy and second-degree bribery of a witness. Lee has also been charged with first-degree armed robbery, first-degree aggravated sexual assault, and two related second-degree weapons offenses.
If convicted on the first-degree criminal charges, Lee could face up to 20 years in state prison for each. Second-degree crime convictions can result in terms of up to 10 years.
The case background …
Shortly after 2:30 p.m. on Thursday, July 21, 2022, Tinton Falls police were dispatched to a local motel on Route 33. Upon arrival, the victim told officers that she had been sexually assaulted at gunpoint by a man who had entered her room.
An investigation by members of the MCPO Special Victims Bureau and the Tinton Falls Police Department resulted in Lee being identified as a suspect in the case, and he was found and arrested by Red Bank police in Count Basie Park the next day.
Continued investigation revealed that on various dates in October and November of 2022, Lee, Logan, and a third party offered a sum of cash to the victim in exchange for a signed and notarized document in which she would state that she did not wish to pursue the case against Lee. Logan was arrested in December of 2022.
Investigators are actively seeking additional information about the activities of these defendants. Anyone with information regarding this matter is asked to contact Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office Detective Dawn Correia at 800-533-7443 or Tinton Falls Police Department Officer Christopher Mills at 732-542-4422.
The case is assigned to Monmouth County Assistant Prosecutor Danielle Zanzuccki, Director of the Special Victims Bureau. Lee and Logan both remain detained at the Monmouth County Correctional Institution (MCCI) pending future court proceedings; he is being represented by Michael Kuhns, Esq., with an office in Lawrence Township, while she is represented by Taylor DiBenedetto, Esq., with an office in New Brunswick.
— Edited press release from the Monmouth County Prosecutor’s Office
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