i'm natalie morales. and i'm craig melvin. and this is dateline on mynetworktv. erything away from me, everything that i sacrificed for, everything that i worked for. he even took my daughter away from me. natalie morales (voiceover): once, they were so good together. how did love turn into hate like this? natalie morales (voiceover): before that night of violence. he dragged you down to the basement. all the way down. i trying to fight him off. i can't breathe. natalie morales (voiceover): then a twist no one expected. they've got three witnesses who identified you in a lineup. did you understand that? yeah, i do understand that. natalie morales (voiceover): the alleged victim accused. it's just a terrifying, shocking experience. natalie morales (voiceover): who did what to whom? the evidence showed an evil and vindictive schemer, a diabolical conniver. natalie morales (voiceover): a frameup that fooled nearly everyone.

this is going to be hard to try to figure all this out. you couldn't invent a worse nightmare. natalie morales (voiceover): a confounding case of vengeance. [theme music] welcome to "dateline." it started out with a couple who seemed made for each other. they were smart, good-looking, and in love. but things took a turn for the worse, and that passion turned into violence. what followed was an elaborate plot to get revenge, so twisted and devious, it fooled police and prosecutors, and it almost succeeded. here's lester holt with "vengeance." [train whistle] lester holt (voiceover): there are two sides to every breakup. and if the end is bitter, and anger spins out of control, a once perfect romance can become a nightmare.

this story was a crazy case of he-said/she-said with a lot of twists and turns. and it explodes into a story you couldn't possibly have imagined. lester holt (voiceover): seemona sumasar doesn't have to imagine it. she lived it. how did i keep my sanity? how did it happen? this all happened to me, me, a simple, simple person. lester holt (voiceover): for seemona and jerry ramrattan, it was a romance that started with so much promise. she thought he might be the one. describe him. charming, sweet-talker, confident. he could make things happen. lester holt (voiceover): the couple lived in seemona's four-family house in queens, new york, in the shadow of kennedy airport. seemona, a 34-year-old immigrant from guyana, worked as an analyst for morgan stanley. i got into the finance business at a great time. good money? good money.

lester holt (voiceover): she also owned a golden krust restaurant franchise. she'd start her day working in manhattan from 5:00 am until 2:00 in the afternoon, then she'd commute back to her restaurant in queens, where she'd work late into the night. and you slept when? i don't know. i look back at it, and i don't know. a few hours here and there. lester holt (voiceover): not long after the golden krust opened, a handsome, confident man walked in and introduced himself. it was jerry, and he quickly became one of seemona's best customers. literally, i would see him almost every day. he would stop by, just casual conversations, talk about his work, him being a detective. lester holt (voiceover): the 37-year-old jerry said he had once been a police officer and still had close ties to law enforcement. now he worked in security, although his exact job was a bit of a mystery. he comes along, and literally, everybody was referring to him as my bodyguard. they loved the thought that he was around.

lester holt: were you an investigator? i was a consultant. i would consult on anything that involved security or investigation matters. she described you as the perfect guy. i did whatever i could at the time, whatever i could do to help out. we did everything, go out to movies, family events, everything. i kept the house clean. i took care of the garbage. i did all the repairs in the house. everyone thought we were married, everyone. lester holt (voiceover): seemona, a single mother, was raising a 12-year-old daughter. she took to jerry too. the romance blossomed. there was even talk of marriage. but a call out of the blue changed everything. a woman on the other end introduced herself as jerry ramrattan's wife. that was a shocker. i doubted her at first. you can't be serious. lester holt (voiceover): it got worse. not only was jerry married, he also had three children. seemona confronted him. at first, he denied it.

finally, he tells me if that it's true, but it's not what it seemed. the marriage was arranged by family for a green card. so what did you do with that explanation? i-- i didn't-- i didn't believe it. how do i trust anything that you say? how did you explain that i have a wife, and i'm with you? i explained to her that before i met her, i was separated from my wife, which was true. my wife was living in brooklyn, i was living in queens. she was upset about it, but she never ended the relationship. lester holt (voiceover): but it was the beginning of the end. seemona banished jerry to the basement and then finally told him to leave her house by february 20, 2009. but more than two weeks after the deadline, jerry was still there. he was talking about a relationship like it still existed. and i kept on saying to him, jerry, you have to leave. we're not together. lester holt (voiceover): they started arguing.

but this time, seemona says it took a dark turn into strange and ominous territory. he got my hands behind me, next thing, i'm hearing duct tape unrolled. lester holt (voiceover): seemona says jerry jammed his knee into her back, pushed her facedown onto her bed, and quickly taped her wrists together. but she says jerry was strangely calm. he let her sit up in bed and acted like it was just another lazy sunday at home. he watched tv, ordered chinese food, and incredibly, tried to win her back. you have me right now duct taped, and you're having a conversation with me? have you lost your mind? i just let him have it. and i called him every name i could possibly call him. lester holt (voiceover): for a moment, jerry seemed to lose it. seemona says he started crying, pulled a gun out of his waistband, and put the barrel against his own head. i said, listen, if you want to kill yourself, don't do it in my house. don't do it in my house.

and in no time, he was back to normal again. lester holt (voiceover): the bizarre scene played out for hours. seemona says she thought it was jerry's dramatic parting shot. but when she tried to get up from the bed, she says he snapped. that's when he just grabbed me with one arm and just pulled me right down the stairs. how big a man is he? he's 6' 4", more than 200 pounds. lester holt: forgive me, but how big are you? 110 pounds, 5' 1". and i was duct taped, so i couldn't control what was going on, really, much. he dragged you down to the basement. all the way down. lester holt (voiceover): seemona says she was lying on the basement floor when jerry wrapped duct tape around her legs. he didn't utter a word. he just took all his clothes off, untied my robe, took off my underwear, and that was that. he rapes you. yes. and you're powerless to resist it. yeah.

and i'm trying to fight him off, but i can't. i can't breathe, and i really felt like i was going to pass out. he started to cry again and apologized that he didn't-- he didn't mean to do this. and he hopes that i don't-- i don't report it. the last thing i think i said to him was, you should've just used the gun. why didn't you? lester holt (voiceover): jerry didn't answer. he simply grabbed his things and left. seemona called 911. lester holt (voiceover): jerry ramrattan was arrested and charged with rape he emphatically denied every detail of seemona's accusation. she said she had been bound, dragged downstairs, raped-- not just any rape, hours of emotional torture--

and forcibly penetrated. i never touched seemona. you did have sex that night? yes. lester holt: in the bedroom? - yes. not downstairs. no. consensual sex? sure. we were having sex all the time. there was never a rape. lester holt (voiceover): and with that, a bitter he-said/she-said case was unleashed, one that would land both jerry and seemona on the wrong side of the law. natalie morales (voiceover): coming up. [sobbing on phone] a disturbing 911 call, a string of armed robberies, an astonishing twist. i was asked to step out of the car, handcuffs were placed on me. natalie morales (voiceover): was jerry's accuser the real criminal? when "dateline" continues. itthe power of nexium 24hr protection from frequent heartburn. all day, and all night.

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fibromyalgia is thought to be caused by overactive nerves. lyrica is believed to calm these nerves. i'm glad my doctor prescribed lyrica. for some, lyrica delivers effective relief for moderate to even severe fibromyalgia pain. and improves function. lyrica may cause serious allergic reactions, suicidal thoughts or actions. tell your doctor right away if you have these, new or worse depression, unusual changes in mood or behavior, swelling, trouble breathing, rash, hives, blisters, muscle pain with fever, tired feeling, or blurry vision. common side effects: dizziness, sleepiness, weight gain, swelling of hands, legs and feet. don't drink alcohol while taking lyrica. don't drive or use machinery until you know how lyrica affects you. those who've had a drug or alcohol problem may be more likely to misuse lyrica. with less pain, i can do more with my family. talk to your doctor today. see if lyrica can help. lester holt (voiceover): more than a year had passed

since seemona sumasar had accused her ex-boyfriend, jerry ramrattan, of rape. jerry was out on bail. in a desperate phone call, he tried to plead his case to her one last time. he said, please, please, please, i'm begging you, don't do this, don't do this. don't go through with it. think about my kids. and i said, don't ever call me again or try to contact me. lester holt (voiceover): seemona wanted to see jerry behind bars. but on the night of may 21, 2010, her case and her life exploded into chaos. she was driving near her restaurant when she was pulled over by police. these were detectives. these weren't regular patrol officers. detectives, plain clothing. and when i explained who i was, they didn't seem to care. i was asked to step out of the car, handcuffs were placed on me. lester holt (voiceover): seemona was bewildered. she'd never been in trouble with police before. more puzzling, the detectives were from suburban long island. they drove seemona to a precinct house in nassau county,

where she was questioned about her car, her driving routines, and her whereabouts on several dates. we're having a conversation about all of these things, and nothing is making any sense to me. these people obviously think i did something. lester holt (voiceover): the detectives acted as though seemona was hiding something and kept pressing her. her attorney, nick brustin. seemona's arrest was a nightmare. she's not given any information about why she's being arrested, has no idea what's happening. it's just a terrifying, shocking experience. lester holt (voiceover): seemona says she was even more shocked when she finally learned why she was there. [sobbing on phone] a frantic 911 call had made her the suspect in an armed robbery. lester holt (voiceover): the caller was a woman named luz johnson, who had been driving in a quiet long island neighborhood just over the border from queens.

she was pulled over by this male and female police officer in a two-tone jeep cherokee with a red, flashing light. lester holt (voiceover): reporter shari einhorn covered the story for news 12 long island. they're wearing bulletproof vests with badges or shields hanging from their necks. they have black, semiautomatic handguns. lester holt (voiceover): but it turned out these were not police officers. johnson says they were bandits who robbed her at gunpoint, walking off with her rent money, $1,400 in cash. [sobbing on phone] the mo struck a chord with nassau county police. it sounded almost exactly like two other armed robberies reported nearby over the previous six months. each of the incidents happened in the wee morning hours.

each of the incidents seemed to be a routine traffic stop. and in each of the incidents, a female is often described as either spanish or indian. lester holt (voiceover): the first victim, rajive mohanlal, a burly man in his 20s, described a harrowing confrontation with a petite woman posing as a cop. mohanlal tells police that she handcuffed him, and police find him wearing handcuffs. and mohanlal also tells the police that the female officer cocked her gun near his head, and a bullet popped out. and police do, in fact, find a bullet on the ground. lester holt (voiceover): that case went unsolved. five months later, the same thing happened to an optician named terrell lovell. he's able to describe a little more detail of the car that

pulls him over-- a jeep cherokee, gray, with partial gold rims, with a flashing red light. lester holt (voiceover): still not enough to crack the case until the night luz johnson became victim number three. [sobbing on phone] dispatcher (on phone): the police are there with you now-- lester holt (voiceover): johnson was inconsolable, so shaken she could barely put a sentence together. but she was clear-headed enough to remember the license plate of the jeep cherokee. police traced it to a house in queens. it was seemona sumasar's house, the very same house where police had come one year earlier when she had said she was raped. but this time, they were coming for her as the suspect in a string of brazen robberies. all police needed now was a positive id. each of the three victims is able to pick out seemona sumasar from a photo pack. lester holt (voiceover): to prosecutors in nassau county, it looked like a mountain of evidence.

they charge seemona with armed robbery, possession of a firearm, and impersonating a police officer. when frank di gaetano, the prosecutor in seemona's rape case, first heard about her arrest, he had to ask himself what kind of person his star witness really was. i've prosecuted priests. i've prosecuted doctors, , lawyers boy scout leaders, people that you wouldn't think would be engaging in criminal activity, but yet were. when you heard robbery and seemona, what was your first thought? i thought, wow, i can't believe it. i didn't think she was like that. so did you think this must be some horrible mistake? well, i believe that there's four sides to the story. four sides? yeah. the if, the truth, the maybe, and whatever else. lester holt (voiceover): and in the case of seemona and jerry, all sides were about to collide, exposing how far some people will go to exact revenge.

natalie morales (voiceover): coming up, seemona's rage. in the email, it says, "revenge is sweet." there is no doubt that i had it in for him. i'm not going to deny that. natalie morales (voiceover): but does she have an alibi in the robbery case? when "dateline" continues.

lester holt (voiceover): seemona sumasar was getting to know the justice system from both ends. first, in queens as the accuser and star witness in a rape case against her former boyfriend, jerry ramrattan, and now, in a long island jail cell, charged with armed robbery and impersonating a police officer. the prosecutor of her rape case found the charges hard to believe, but he knew long island prosecutors had discovered a motive. she was in arrears on her taxes. they eventually came to believe that her restaurant was failing and that she was in desperate financial straits.

i understand she had some money issues. a lot of money issues. there was a lot of stuff going on. lester holt (voiceover): when they first started dating, jerry was at the restaurant all the time, greeting customers, driving employees home, handling deliveries. he was so involved, some people thought he was the boss. lester holt: what did you do at the restaurant initially? at first, i came in, i started assisting her because she was having problems. she had violations, several thousands of dollars in violations. they were coming after her for taxes. she got a sba loan, small business loan, and she defaulted on the loan. there was a lot of stuff going on. was she a good businesswoman? she tried. she tried. lester holt (voiceover): jerry says seemona's financial situation got so bad, he took charge of day-to-day operations. then when seemona formed a new corporation to run the restaurant, she named jerry an officer. she even created a new bank account to handle expenses and put it in jerry's name.

and finally, when money became too tight, he says seemona took the ultimate step. lester holt: you say that seemona ended up selling the restaurant to you. correct. and they give me a notarized letter stating that it was sold to me. and they also transferred the light, the gas, all the utilities in my name. lester holt (voiceover): seemona says she did not sell the restaurant, and it was never in dire straits. she says her problem was with jerry. once she discovered he was a married man, she just didn't trust him anymore. i had no clue who he really was, if anything that he said was true at all. and i said, you know what? i can't take this anymore. lester holt (voiceover): and that's when seemona says she told jerry to leave. she also wrote an email to his wife. things were getting ugly. in the email, it says, "revenge is sweet. he deserves what he gets. you were never going to put him in his place. someone needed to." there is no doubt that i had it in for him. i'm not going to deny that. i explained to her that i am trying

to get him out of my life. it's not an easy thing to do. was this related to the fact that you had set this deadline? yes, and i wanted him out. lester holt (voiceover): it was just one month later that seemona accused jerry of rape. lester holt: why would she make this up? well, her whole problem was she wanted her store back. after all the stuff i've done for her. do you know how preposterous that sounds? after all this time, you're going to accuse me of rape. it was like a nightmare. lester holt (voiceover): but now, the prosecutor, getting ready to bring jerry to trial for rape, had his own nightmare. his star witness had lost her most important credential-- her credibility. frank di gaetano: we were presenting her as a thoughtful, gentle, private woman. and essentially, the defense would have been able to paint her as ma barker. lester holt (voiceover): and that's exactly how it played out in front of a grand jury. all three victims testified that seemona was the woman who disguised herself as a police officer and robbed them at gunpoint.

seemona was indicted, and her bail was set at $1 million. she couldn't come up with the money and remained in jail. they've got three witnesses who identified you in a lineup, identified your car. they had what, to them, seemed like a pretty good case. did you understand that? yeah, i do understand. lester holt (voiceover): but what seemona didn't understand was why nassau county police and prosecutors were ignoring evidence she felt certain would clear her. most significant, she claims she had an airtight alibi for the night of the third robbery. lester holt (voiceover): robbery victim luz johnson's 911 call was made on the night of may 19, 2010, at 1:00 am, from inwood, a small town on long island. but at that very moment, seemona told police she was gambling at the mohegan sun casino in uncasville, connecticut, 120 miles away. can i prove where i was on may 19th?

i'm not sure, but i know that i went to mohegan sun. and i said, you probably don't believe me because i'm sure everybody's saying that they're innocent. but you could confirm with my family. my nephew was with me. lester holt (voiceover): seemona said she not only had a witness, she had concrete evidence. police were given security camera images of a woman resembling seemona at the casino's gaming tables. and records show that calls made from seemona's phone pinged off cell towers near the casino at the same time the robbery was reported in new york. and i thought that was it, that's all i needed to get me out. i'm thinking that, ok, i'm saved now. lester holt (voiceover): but prosecutors weren't convinced. lester holt: but they look at that picture in the mohegan sun, and-- seemona sumasar: and it looks blurry. lester holt: it's a little grainy. right, a little grainy, i admit. but how does my phone make phone calls from connecticut at the same exact time of the robbery in new york hours away? the only thing that i thought that could have saved me didn't.

lester holt (voiceover): seemona's attorney says police didn't take her alibi seriously because they had already made up their minds. it was very clear that it's seemona in the picture. the cell phone records support it. with that kind of evidence, a full investigation should be conducted into what she's claiming. lester holt (voiceover): but nassau county police didn't budge. they felt the evidence against seemona was overwhelming. and as she languished in jail for months, one thing kept eating at her, something that happened the night she was taken into custody. at one point during the interrogation, i noticed that there is a folder, like manila folder, this high, and on top of it is his picture. whose picture? jerry's. they have a folder on him. so i spilled my guts about the rape, everything i know about jerry and what's going on. and the detective casually just says to me, well, this is not about him. i'm thinking to myself, how could this not have anything to do with him?

natalie morales (voiceover): coming up, a new witness comes forward and upends the entire case. she decided to go to the nassau da's office and come clean. natalie morales (voiceover): when "dateline" continues. steve chooses to walk over the26.2 miles,9 days... that's a marathon. and he does it with dr. scholl's. only dr. scholl's has massaging gel insoles that provide all-day comfort to keep him feeling more energized. dr. scholl's. born to move. just walk right in and pay zero dollars with most insurance.r. plus, when you get a flu shot at walgreens, you help provide a lifesaving vaccine to a child in need through the un foundation. it's that easy to get your flu shot and make a difference. so swing by your local walgreens today. walgreens. at the corner of happy & healthy.

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chapstick. put your lips first. lester holt (voiceover): seemona sumasar was in jail, about to be tried for armed robbery and impersonating a police officer. for a woman who had been a success on wall street and owned her own restaurant, it seemed to defy all logic. is it hard to believe that that's you? yeah, i say it everyday, it's not my life. this couldn't have happened to me. it's like a bad dream. lester holt (voiceover): seemona said she was innocent and thought she had given police an airtight alibi for the night

of one of the robberies. she racked her brain, trying to come up with an explanation. she could only think of one-- this had to be the work of jerry ramrattan. there was no doubt at that time that this has to do with jerry. lester holt (voiceover): seemona felt certain the man charged with raping her must be connected to the charges against her now. but how? she says she pleaded with police and prosecutors to try to find out, but they didn't seem interested. seemona's lawyer says they didn't do their jobs. police have blinders. they get a piece of evidence they think is credible, and they follow it to the exclusion of all else. and they were looking for ways to prove that she committed this crime. they were convinced she did it. they weren't looking for ways to prove that she didn't. lester holt (voiceover): as the months dragged on, seemona felt like she'd been assaulted twice, first by her ex-boyfriend, and now by the justice system. it became difficult, all the negative light because

of my arrest, a lot of embarrassing things that my family had to go through, a lot of shame, a lot of guilt. how would i explain what's going on, what's been said about me? lester holt (voiceover): then just before christmas, a gift. a woman arrived at the nassau county da's office with evidence of a plot against seemona. how did she know? she said her boyfriend was behind it. she was trying to extricate herself from that relationship. he'd show up at her house. she refused to let him in. and she came to realize that the only way to get rid of him was to expose his conspiracy, so she decided to go to the nassau da's office and to come clean. lester holt (voiceover): the informant said not only was seemona not involved in any robberies, but there were no robberies. lester holt (voiceover): the dramatic 911 calls, testimony, the evidence, all of it

was faked to frame her. i couldn't say anything else but, wait a minute, are you kidding me? isn't this what i was saying from day one? lester holt (voiceover): the informant provided cell phone records linking the three robbery victims to the mastermind of an elaborate plot. it was not only the informant's boyfriend, but the man seemona had suspected all along-- jerry ramrattan. he resolved to do whatever he could to discredit her. and in jerry's world, that was bringing false charges against her. and he did it in a very, very clever and really masterful way to pin these crimes on her. lester holt (voiceover): all three so-called victims confessed that the entire thing was a hoax and said jerry was behind it. they all pleaded guilty to perjury and went to jail. nassau county prosecutors had to admit they were wrong about seemona. they dropped the charges and released her.

it was just a moment, unbelievable. i had to pinch myself, like, i'm really literally out. lester holt (voiceover): seemona was finally free, but she had paid a heavy price. she'd been separated from her young daughter for seven long months. lester holt: how often did you get to see your daughter? i had refused to have her come there. i got arrested in may, the whole summer went by, never seen her. and just before the week of school in september is when i asked her dad to bring her. and i tried to explain everything to her in an hour about how she shouldn't worry about anything. what was that like? that was the worst. lester holt (voiceover): now everything circled back to jerry ramrattan. he was arrested again and charged with conspiracy. this time, he went to jail to stay, and most significant, all the charges against him

were combined so that he would be tried for both conspiracy and rape in front of one jury. jerry, you see why this looks really bad? you're accused of rape by seemona. seemona suddenly ends up in jail, accused of armed robberies. the three people that claim she did it all were related to you. they're not all related to me. and i trust the justice system, even though i was done injustice. i guarantee you, the truth will come out. jerry insisted he did nothing wrong. the case for the defense-- the witnesses were lying. natalie morales (voiceover): coming up-- they lied about everything. but it just takes any one juror to say, i don't believe these people. natalie morales (voiceover): when "dateline" continues. everything i did circled smaround that cigarette when i started taking the chantix that urge just slowly diminished and it was a great and empowering feeling.

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lester holt: was she in love with you? i believe so. so how did love turn into hate like this? money's a dangerous commodity. he is a sociopath. i don't believe that he would stop at anything to get what he wants. lester holt (voiceover): in november of 2011, the most intimate secrets and grievances of their relationship played out in court at jerry's trial for rape and conspiracy. the prosecution set the tone, calling jerry a liar and manipulator, used to getting his way until seemona forced him out of her business, her house, and her heart. this time, he was going to have to leave with his tail between his legs. that was something that he just could not allow to happen. i think he became extraordinarily angry, and that's when he decided he was going to rape her. lester holt (voiceover): seemona took the stand and described the events of march 8, 2009-- hours of captivity in her own bedroom,

followed by a brutal rape. lester holt: that must have been hard. it was. i went in there not knowing what to expect. i also remind myself that i didn't have anything to worry about, because i didn't need to lie about anything. she relived her relationship with jerry on that witness stand, and she relived her ordeal with jerry on that witness stand. and i thought every moment of her examination rang true and was very powerful. lester holt (voiceover): the prosecution told the jury that seemona's body was a crime scene. semen recovered during her sexual assault exam contained jerry's dna, and there was evidence of a genital laceration. most women who are raped, there are no injuries. if there is injury, that is indicative of a forcible act. lester holt (voiceover): the report included pictures of seemona's face and arms. frank di gaetano (voiceover): there are duct tape marks consistent with duct tape having been placed around her wrists. prosecutor di gaetano also had evidence that jerry's fingerprint was on a roll of duct tape

recovered from the house. collectively, the evidence was overwhelming and really supported her account. lester holt (voiceover): next, the jury heard about a fake robbery plot as intricate as an episode of "csi" or "law and order," jerry's favorite crime dramas. the prosecution said it was brilliantly conceived, not by a real cop, as jerry claimed he once was, but by a detective wannabe, who, it turns out, had once been convicted for robbery himself. i did know early on that he was not a police officer. he had a felony record, so he could not have been a police officer. lester holt (voiceover): the prosecution called the three so-called victims who had accused seemona of armed robbery. [sobbing on phone] lester holt (voiceover): even luz johnson, whose dramatic 911 call seemed so real, now said she was simply reciting a script, elaborately written by jerry. he knew police procedure, he knew how these investigations

were conducted, and he made use of it, and he was very detailed in the script that he gave to each of the three victims. lester holt (voiceover): the prosecution had painted an ugly picture of jerry ramrattan-- a rapist and schemer without conscience. i was shocked. i can't believe that seemona would sit there and create a story like this. look at the sloppy police work that was done on my case, the evidence that they produced at trial. even during that time period-- lester holt (voiceover): now it was the defense's turn. jerry's lawyer, frank kelly, challenged seemona and her story of being held captive for hours before being raped. i thought it was just ridiculous that my client would be there for hours and hours, ordering chinese food, and repeating the same thing over and over-- can i stay? can i stay? please don't tell the police after i leave. it was just ridiculous. lester holt (voiceover): kelly ripped into the fingerprint evidence, arguing that the one print found was on a roll of duct tape, not on the pieces allegedly used to bind and gag seemona. there was no proof that any of those pieces of duct tape

came from that particular roll. of course his fingerprint was going to be on the outside of one. he had placed it there on the bureau. lester holt (voiceover): kelly argued that the medical evidence was flimsy too, including the medical technician's report of the genital laceration. and he took a photograph of it, you couldn't see it. and he did admit that even on consensual sex, you can get such a laceration. the only thing i ever saw on any photograph was one line across one of her forearms, but i couldn't tell you that was from duct tape. lester holt (voiceover): kelly dismissed the conspiracy charge, telling the jury that part of the case was built entirely on the testimony of confessed liars. these are lowlifes. they lied about everything. but it just takes any one juror to say, i don't believe these people, they are convicted perjurers. i don't believe seemona sumasar because she was in financial difficulties, and she won't even admit that. lester holt (voiceover): in the end, the defense asserted the case was really all about seemona, a woman in deep financial trouble

who turned against a man who loved and supported her, framing him in a desperate effort to get her restaurant back. in a dramatic moment, kelly presented a bill of sale in court, showing seemona had sold the golden krust to jerry for $120,000. when i actually saw that document, i thought he really lost his mind. it's your signature there, and it says you sold the restaurant for $120,000. and i have to tell you that that signature looks exactly like my signature, but i never signed that, and i never sold my business. and he doesn't have $120, much less $120,000, to give me. lester holt (voiceover): jerry did not take the stand, and the defense called no witnesses. there was nothing to gain out of that. they didn't prove their case beyond a reasonable doubt. i thought the jurors would come back with a not guilty verdict. lester holt (voiceover): after a three week trial, it was over. jerry's future and seemona's too were now in the hands of a jury.

natalie morales (voiceover): coming up, a tough task for jurors. once a case gets into the hands of the jury, you never know what's going to happen. natalie morales (voiceover): when "dateline" continues. start the interview with a firm handshake. ay,no! don't do that! try head & shoulders instant relief. it cools on contact, and also keeps you 100% flake free. try head & shoulders instant relief. for cooling relief in a snap.

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welcome back to "dateline." i'm natalie morales. had a woman been framed by a bitter ex as part of a devious plot fueled by revenge,

as the prosecutor said? or was the defense right? had she, in dire financial straits, pinned her crimes on a man who was only trying to help? and which version would the jury believe? now with the conclusion of "vengeance," once again, lester holt. lester holt (voiceover): for seemona sumasar, it had been an exhausting and emotional three weeks. the trial of her ex-boyfriend, jerry ramrattan, had taken her back to the worst days of her life. i can't believe that it's my life. it's something that should really be in a lifetime movie. even that's a little bit too much. lester holt (voiceover): and now that the case was in the hands of the jury, seemona and prosecutor frank di gaetano were on edge. i'm never confident. once a case gets into the hands of the jury, you never know what's going to happen. lester holt (voiceover): when deliberations got underway, the jury was divided. lester holt: tell me what the deliberations were like. well, at first, it seemed like it was going

to be more like a hung jury. lester holt (voiceover): we spoke to five of the jurors. so how many holdouts were there? i'd say we probably started with three. three people leaning towards acquittal. right. what about seemona? what were your thoughts as you looked out at her? strong woman. that's-- i was going to say that exactly. she is a strong woman. you could see the emotion when she spoke, the tendons and everything, when she was reliving it in that moment. this is going to be hard to try to figure all this out because there was so many different things and so many contradictions. lester holt (voiceover): the jurors struggled for 10 long hours before reaching a verdict. judge: madam foreperson, as to count 1, rape in the first degree, what is your verdict? juror: guilty. lester holt (voiceover): jerry ramrattan, guilty of rape. juror: guilty. lester holt (voiceover): and guilty of the conspiracy

that landed seemona in jail. judge: as to count 11, falsely reporting an incident in the third degree, what is your verdict? juror: guilty. lester holt (voiceover): the jury convicted him on 11 counts in all. i only heard the rape charge, because in my mind, ultimately, that's all they needed to convict him for. can you step outside this far enough to say that if i'm on the jury, and i'm hearing what this jury heard, this was a pretty easy slam dunk conviction? no, it wasn't. there's sloppy police work. her story, they went on emotions more than actual physical evidence. lester holt (voiceover): in the end, it was still a case of he-said/she-said, and the jury had little trouble deciding who to believe. lester holt: what do you think about jerry now? in many respects, i felt really sad and sorry for him because he was a flawed individual. he did nothing but smirk, and make faces, and mouthed words, and very exaggerated facial gestures, very smug.

big turn off. he is that bee that has honey in his mouth, but he has a sting in his tail. lester holt (voiceover): and that sting nearly destroyed seemona sumasar's life. seemona sumasar. at the sentencing, seemona was given a chance to address the court. but instead, she spoke straight to jerry. you made sure that i was left with nothing when you were done because you're evil. you're just-- i don't even have words for you, i don't. but i know that you're pure evil, and you're a sociopath, and you need help. and i hope that you take and use your time wisely to get the help you need. lester holt (voiceover): when jerry got his turn, he refused to take responsibility for his crimes. it's fine. whatever has to happen today has to happen, but it's nowhere done and over. i maintain my innocence, and there's more to come. it's not done.

lester holt (voiceover): as he delivered the sentence, judge richard buchter said jerry deserved no mercy. the evidence showed him to be a violent rapist, an evil and vindictive schemer, a sinister manipulator, a diabolical conniver, a man who cold-heartedly endeavored to destroy an innocent victim who he himself had abused and raped. lester holt (voiceover): the judge sentenced jerry ramrattan to 33 years in prison. he will not be eligible for parole for more than 20 years. from behind bars, jerry still insists he's an innocent man, and puts the blame on seemona and his three co-conspirators. we spoke to some of the jurors. mm-hmm. and they said they really believe seemona. mm-hmm. she was lying, in your view? yeah. i was shocked. did you ask any of these three people to concoct a story of seemona robbing them?

no. they're bald-faced liars? oh, yeah. and i'm sure in due time, a lot more stuff is going to come out about all of them. everyone's lying. you're the only one telling the truth here? well, it doesn't matter what i say because i'm the fall guy right now. i still think that he believes in half of the lies that he told, and he looks at me as the person that did this to him, and not that he did this to himself. lester holt (voiceover): seemona sumasar was a victim of two crimes, but it didn't end there. during the seven months she was in jail, she lost her home, her business, and was separated from her daughter. and now, she has to build her life yet again. the wheels of justice eventually turned in the right direction, but it must be hard to look at yourself as a winner. it is, it is. he has turned my life upside down.

he took everything away from me, everything that i sacrificed for, everything that i worked for. he even took my daughter away from me, turned her life upside down. lester holt (voiceover): seemona sued new york city and two of its detectives. she also sued nassau county and one of its detectives. the city defendant settled for an undisclosed amount. after a federal court dismissed her claims for false arrest, the county defendants settled the remaining claims for $2 million. it's literally kafkaesque. she couldn't have imagined this having happened to her. so in terms of how this affected her life, you couldn't invent a worse nightmare for her. sometimes, the word "victim" implies someone weak. mm-hmm. how do you wrestle with the term "victim"? how do you see yourself? i don't want to play the victim role. i'm stronger than that. i'm better than that. so you just have to let it go, and say what's done is done,

and just leave it alone. that's all for this edition of "dateline." i'm natalie morales. thanks for joining us. [theme music]

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