March 2, 2022 By Christian Murray
A Jackson Heights man was convicted Tuesday of raping a woman who was a guest in his apartment in January 2019.
Ahmed Shamim, 35, was found guilty of first-degree rape for sexually violating a 25-year-old woman who had just moved into his apartment after arriving from Bangladesh to attend college. The victim was sharing a room with his niece.
Shamim, according to the district attorney’s office, raped the woman after he took her out for her birthday on Jan. 25, 2019, and they returned home.
The victim had gone to bed and was awoken by Shamim, who pinned her down and removed her pants. He then applied pressure to her neck and forcibly raped her.
The police were called that morning and Shamim was arrested. DNA evidence matched Shamim’s DNA profile.
“The defendant violated the trust of a woman who was a guest in his home,” said Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz. “After weighing all the evidence presented at trial, a jury found the defendant guilty.”
Shamim is scheduled to be sentenced on March 21 and faces up to 25 years in prison.