Complaint #201601941,
March 4, 2016

Summary

At approximately 9:45 p.m. on March 4, 2016, [redacted] arrived at room 1610 on the 16th floor of the Marriott Hotel, located at 525 Lexington Avenue in Manhattan. She reportedly was there as a masseuse, but shortly after her arrival and brief conversation with an unidentified undercover officer with whom she had made arrangements, [redacted] fled down the hallway. As she ran, members of the Manhattan Vice Squad—including Detective Salvatore Vieni, Detective Paul Rivera, and Sergeant Brian Byrnes—exited from room 1612 and allegedly all tackled her to the ground, causing a large amount of pain in her arms (Allegations A, B, and C). As the officers restrained [redacted] an officer whom she did not see allegedly dug his fingernails into the back of her left hand, causing abrasions on her left knuckles that actively bled (Allegation D). While on the ground, Det. Vieni and another officer present, Detective Hoiping Lee of the same command, allegedly used closed fists to punch her approximately three times in the stomach, head, and leg, causing a large bruise on her inner left thigh (Allegations E and F).
After being handcuffed and escorted into the hotel room, [redacted] reportedly felt dizzy and in so much pain in her leg that she collapsed to the ground. Det. Vieni allegedly saw this and believed her to be faking, so he yanked her upwards by her right arm, causing severe pain in that area (subsumed within Allegation E). [redacted] was subsequently escorted down to a police van downstairs. Before being transported to the hospital, [redacted] allegedly asked Det. Lee for his name, though he merely replied that he was an officer without giving a name (Allegation G). [redacted] was ultimately arrested for resisting arrest and prostitution. Read report for details.