NEW YORK, June 14, 2008
NYC Woman Sentenced For Branding Ex-Lover
College Student Tasered, Then Scarred Man After He Had Sex With Her And Didn't Call Afterwards
-
Photo
(CBS/AP)
-
Interactive
Crime Beat
Statistics and specifics on crime in America.
Kristina Caban, 23, had no comment as state Supreme Court Justice Michael Obus sentenced her for what he called a crime that was "not remotely justifiable."
Assistant District Attorney Nicole Blumberg told Obus that Caban was the "mastermind behind the plan" to sear the torso of Samir "Sammy" Sara, then 23, for having sex with her once in 2004 and never calling her again.
Caban enlisted new boyfriend Robert Testagrossa to help brand a four-inch-high "R" on Sara's abdomen in October 2006, the prosecutor said. She said Caban lured the former lover to a hotel room, where Testagrossa and another man grabbed him.
Blumberg said the men used a Taser to immobilize Sara in a room at the Chelsea Inn while Caban laughed at his distress and kicked him while he was down.
The branding "iron" was actually a length of metal wire fashioned into a "R" - heated, and applied to Sara's torso, said Tracy Golden of the Manhattan district attorney's office. She said prosecutors did not know what the "R" stood for.
Caban and Testagrossa, 27, pleaded guilty to assault in August 2007 in exchange for five-year sentences. Testagrossa was sentenced in February and Caban, a photography student, was allowed to graduate from the School of Visual Arts in Manhattan before going to prison.
Blumberg said the third assailant remains at large.
He said Sara will have a permanent, tragic memento of his encounter with Caban.
Caban's lawyer, James Friedman said, "She's a good kid, despite the picture painted of her, who exercised poor judgment and got herself into a bad situation. She is not the monster the prosecution made her out to be."
Caban's father, Rafael Caban, 55, is a retired Correction Department captain.
Testagrossa is the son of two prosecutors. His father Charles is the executive assistant district attorney in Queens who prosecuted the Sean Bell police shooting case. His mother is a lawyer in the Nassau County district attorney's office.
© MMVIII The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.



- 1
- 2
- next
See all 62 CommentsPosted by denn034
By *** I meant $lut.
***... let her graduate first... whatever happened to the consequences of your crime? Too bad the guy would be a prime suspect if something "happened" to her after she got out. I''m sure her lesbian lover in jail will call her over and over, she''ll wish she had an unlisted "cell number." :-)
***... let her graduate first... whatever happened to the consequences of your crime? Too bad the guy would be a prime suspect if something "happened" to her after she got out. I''''m sure her lesbian lover in jail will call her over and over, she''''ll wish she had an unlisted "cell number." :-)"
Posted by topblknavy
Read it again and you''ll see that Sara is a last name not a first one. The words "new boyfriend" should''ve been your first clue.
Caban''s father, Rafael Caban, 55, is a retired Correction Department captain.
Testagrossa is the son of two prosecutors.
Yeah ... I also would venture a guess they both were raised as very very LIBERAL. NOT!
***... let her graduate first... whatever happened to the consequences of your crime? Too bad the guy would be a prime suspect if something "happened" to her after she got out. I''m sure her lesbian lover in jail will call her over and over, she''''''''ll wish she had an unlisted "cell number." :-)"
Posted by topblknavy
Read it again and you''''ll see that Sara is a last name not a first one. The words "new boyfriend" should''''ve been your first clue.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Posted by denn034 at 05:49 PM : Jun 14, 2008
Denn.....I''m sure topp was referring to her new lover in lockup!
Personally I think she''s just pissed cause he figured the p----- wasn''t worth a callback!!
P*ssy like that is dangerous.
Posted by soshljustic
Ya know what, Sos. Those guys were idiots, that chick is crazy and belongs in jail. Enough of the femi-nazi bulls*it.
You are wrong. period. If you see people as good or bad you live in a world of pure fantasy. YOU very well might have been either of these people. You only deny it to try to pretend you are in the "good" category.
Posted by soshljustic
Yeah, right. Like the preacher''s wife who got three months in a mental institution for shoving a 12 guage in his back and pulling the trigger while he slept.
Give me a break....
Obviously one who thinks that a test drive means you bought it, whether you liked the ride or not......
Posted by loneeagle57 at 08:31 PM : Jun 14, 2008
He''s obviously not very bright....
I know this happens, just trust me, I know.
Then, after being denied the opportunity for justice that she deserved, perhaps she took matters into her own hands.
Said her lawayer. A good kid - not only did she kidnap someone and torture them, she instigated and led a criminal conspiracy to do the same. For that, she got about 1.5 years (real time) to serve in country club prison.
Let''s imagine a black man kidnapped a white surburban woman, and tatooed "***" on her chest with a branding iron. Let''s imagine he formed a criminal gang, orgainzed and led them, to commit this crime. Do you thikn he''d get 1.5 years? In country club prison? More like 20 years in Hell.
This is our justice system. Privileged little white girls, rich man''s indecent and disgusting little daughters, are "good girls who made a bad judgement". That''s our America, our good girls, now go tell God why we should survive as a nation. Show God our good girls, little vindictive spoiled ***, sleeping with random guys, disgusting themselves in random acts of gross, filthy immorality than killing and branding and torturing others in their fits of spoiled rage. That''s a good girl, all right. Let''s put her in the Bible. Let''s put her on the nation''s money, we should build a monument to her, the good American girl.
Get real!!! How many rape victims get that bent out of shape for their attacker not to call them. My opinion is she is a psyco that deserves to be locked up a whole lot longer than 5 years, let alone to be allowed to graduate before going to prison. As for her accomplices, they are just as guilty and deserve the same.
Why bring race ino it. I read the story and have no idea of what races were involved and wouldn''t care. If i had been on O.J.''s jury i think he did it but from the way the prosecutioin handled the case i would have voted not guilty. Need to look at facts, not opinions or races.
Posted by haoli25
Well, since the justice system is led by people who produce anti-social monsters like this, what that is truly just can we expect. High functioning sociopaths are bad news and the United States produces them in mass.
Caban''s father, Rafael Caban, 55, is a retired Correction Department captain.
Testagrossa is the son of two prosecutors. His father Charles is the executive assistant district attorney in Queens who prosecuted the Sean Bell police shooting case. His mother is a lawyer in the Nassau County district attorney''s office."
Obviously given each of the perps'' backgrounds...they learned that "justice" would be best served if they took matters into their own hands and applied it to Sara''s abdomen. The "R" stands for "reject" as in what any woman would supposedly think of a loser man who wanted to hit it and split it.
Two years after their one-night stand, she will still upset enough to do this. She ruined her life at the grand old age of 23 & Testagrossa''s. Five years in prison. That''s going to stay with them forever. Not to mention what she put Sara through.
Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned. Attention must be paid. Glenn Close in Fatal Attraction: "I''m not going to be IGNORED."
Saw a line somewhere: "Most women are emotional basket cases." I''m beginning to believe it.
What a good wife you would be
Yeah your eyes could steal a sailor
From the sea."
Where is my address book? I had better start now.
Posted by denn034
I read somewhere once that, "Everyone is just one very bad day from going insane." It doesnt matter how "good" you think you are or others may think you are. Just think about the person that cuts you off on the freeway then slows down to 40 in a 65 mph highway right infront of you when you are late or in a hurry. Wouldn''t you just love to ram him off the road? Or, the guy who stares at the last box of Cornflakes on the shelf, you want them but you dont want to be rude and just grab em up however, he can''t make up his mind to buy them or not so you wait and wait. Is he gonna get it or just stand there and stare at em?? Should I grab it and go? Or, just beat the h*ll out of him and walk off with the box. Yep, just one bad day away... Rather you are good or not. Still doesnt make what she did right... I guess that guys weenie was to good to let it all go after 2 years
Posted by gheemaster38 at 02:03 PM : Jun 15, 2008
I was with you--until the cornflakes remark--how about just going to another store--for that one? Just as long as some slow moving guy does not get in your way....LOL
Posted by CerberusII at 01:59 PM : Jun 15, 2008
..you mean you''re not real? LMAO
I am sure most of you are to young to remember the Chuck Connors series "Branded". This is why you wait until you have a ring on your finger and he says "I do". You know the old story, Why buy the cow when the milk is free. Well the heifer definately got the jump on that old bull.
Posted by onlythereal at 09:46 AM : Jun 15, 2008
LOL. We used to change that song into "Stranded...but you know you''re a man--what do you do when you''re stranded and you know you''re a man? To prove you''re a man---you must wipe "it" with your hand"
Those were the days--remember "The Name of the Game" "High Chapparal" and "Mannix"? Great shows...."It takes a Thief..." LOL
I should have known. You are too well informed to be American.
Posted by jmcgilvray at 10:18 AM : Jun 15, 2008
Hey, Aussie!!! We resemble that remark!! LOL
Also, Testagross-out''s 5 years seems good, but Caban should have gotten 10 years for her emotional stupidity. Oh, I forgot, being stupid is not against the law.
- 1
- 2
- next
See all 62 Comments