DNA from discarded cup leads to man’s arrest in 1990s sexual assaults in NY

NEW YORK — NEW YORK (AP) — A Georgia man accused of sexually assaulting five women during a crime spree in New York City in the early 1990s was linked to cases that DNA experts obtained from a discarded cup, prosecutors said.

Michael Benjamin, 57, of Conyers, was arraigned Thursday after he was extradited to New York and ordered held without bail because he was a high flight risk, prosecutors said.

On Thursday, as police escorted Benjamin from a New York City police station, he told reporters he was innocent of the charges.

“I didn’t do it! I didn’t do any of this!” – he shouted. “What witness? What fingerprints? I didn't do it!

Prosecutors said the attacks occurred between July 1995 and February 1997, when the attacker entered the residences through a window. The victims ranged in age from 21 to 42, including one woman who was attacked on two separate occasions. Each victim was also robbed of money and valuables.

Prosecutors said Benjamin was linked to the attacks using DNA obtained last year from a discarded cup he used at the Rockdale County Sheriff's Office. He was sent for testing and matching DNA was found at the time of the attack.

Benjamin was arrested in Georgia on September 22 and extradited to New York on Tuesday. He faces 17 counts, including charges of sexual assault and burglary.

“Even though decades have passed, these unsolved cases have not been forgotten,” said Queens County District Attorney Melinda Katz. “It’s never too late to restore justice.”

Benjamin's lawyer, Joseph Amsel, said his client “vehemently, vehemently and vociferously” denies the charges. “Most of these charges are beyond the statute of limitations,” Amsel said.