A New Rochelle man has been indicted on charges he raped a woman at a city hotel in late 2024.
Nua Mitaj, 33, owner of a general contracting company, pleaded not guilty to first-degree rape and other charges Tuesday, March 24, at his arraignment in Westchester County Court.
The alleged rape occurred at about 3:30 am on Dec. 29, 2024, in a 7th floor room at the Residence Inn by Marriott on LeCount Place. According to a felony complaint when he was initially arrested in October 2025, Mitaj allegedly threw the 23-year-old woman on the bed, pinned her down and removed her clothing as she told him to stop. He allegedly then had sex with her as she continued to resist and tried to push him off her, according to the complaint.
“No means no. That is the beginning and end of the conversation,” Westchester District Attorney Susan Cacace said in a news release announcing the indictment. “As alleged by my office, this defendant completely ignored his victim’s protestations and committed a violent act of rape against her.”
Anthony Mattesi, Mitaj’s lawyer, said his client denies the allegations, insists any sexual activity was consensual and “looks forward to having a jury finding him not guilty.”
Mitaj faces up to 25 years in prison on the first-degree rape charge. He is also charged with first-degree sexual abuse and third-degree rape, both felonies, and second-degree unlawful imprisonment, a misdemeanor.
He posted bail that was set at the time of his initial arrest. Westchester Judge Robert Prisco maintained that bail and scheduled Mitaj’s next court date for June 23.
This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Indictment alleges rape by New Rochelle man at a city hotel
Reporting by Jonathan Bandler, Rockland/Westchester Journal News / Rockland/Westchester Journal News
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