i'm a little anxious, i'm a little excited. i'm gonna be emotional, she's gonna be emotional, but it's gonna be so worth it. i love that i can give back to one of our customers. i hope you enjoy these amazing gifts. oh my goodness. oh, you guys. i know you like wrestling, so we got you some vip tickets. you have made an impact. so have you. for you guys to be out here doing something like this, it restores a lot of faith in humanity. hello, i'm andrea canning, and this is "dateline." [music playing] hello, i'm andrea canning, and this is "dateline."e do. he took everything away from me, everything that i sacrificed for, everything that i worked for. he even took my daughter away from me. andrea canning (voiceover): once, they were so good together-- >> hello, i'm andrea canning, how did love turn into hate like this? and this is dateline. >> 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. >> once they were so good together, -- >> how did love turn into hate like this. >> before that night of violence. >> he drags you down to the basement? >> all the way down. i'm trying to find love, i can't breathe. >> then a twist no one expected. >> you have three witnesses who identified you and not line up, do you understand that? >> yes i do understand that. >> the alleged victim, accused. >> it's just a terrifying, shocking experience. >> who did what to who? >> the evidence showed and evil and vindictive schemer. a diabolical conniving. >> a frame of that fooled everyone. >> this will be hard to figure out this out. >> you couldn't invent a worst nightmare. >> it case of vengeance. >> hello and welcome to dateline. it started out with a couple who seemed made for each other, they were smart good-looking and in love. things took a turn for the worse when the 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 is lester holt with vengeance. >> there are two sides to every breakup, and if the end is bitter, anger spins out of control, 01's 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 store you couldn't possibly have imagined. >> 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, to me, a simple, simple person for seemona sumasar 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. you know? he could make things happen. >> the couple lived in seemona 's for 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 finest business at a good time -- >> good money? >> good money. >> she owned a golden crest restaurant franchise, she start her day working in manhattan from 5 am until two in the afternoon, then she commute back to her restaurant in queens where she worked 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. >> not long after the golden crest opened a handsome confident man walked in and introduced himself. it was jerry, and he quickly became one of seemona the's best customers. >> literally i would see him almost every day. he would stop by, just casual conversation, talk about his work him being a detective. >> 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 mystery. >> he comes along and every buddy was referring to him as my bodyguard. they like the thought that he was around. >> 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 could do to help. >> we did everything movie, family events. everything. i kept the house clean. i took care of the garbage, did all the repairs in the house, everyone thought we were married. everyone. >> seemona, a single mother was raising a 12-year-old daughter, she took to jerry to. the romance blossomed, there was even talk of marriage, but a call out of the blue changed everything. oh woman on the other hand introduced herself as jerry ramrattan a's wife. >> that was a shocker, i doubted her at first, you can't be serious. >> 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 that it is true and that it is not what it seems. the marriage was arranged by family for a green card. >> so, what did you do with that explanation? >> i didn't believe it, how do i trust anything that you say? >> how do you explain that i have a wife but i'm with you? >> i explained that before i met her i was separated from my

wife, which was true my wife was in brooklyn and i was in queens. she was upset about it but she never entered the relationship. >> but it was the beginning of the end, seemona banished jerry to the basement and then finally told him to leave the house by february 20th of 2009. but more than two weeks after the deadline, jerry was still there. >> he was talking about the relationship like it's still existed. and i kept on saying to him, jerry, you have to leave. we are not together. >> they started arguing, but this time seemona said it took a dark turn, even strange, and ominous. >> he got my hands behind me, next thing i'm hearing duck tape on a roll. >> seemona said jerry jammed his knee into her back, pushed

her face down onto the bed and quickly taped her wrist together. but she says jerry was strangely calm, he let her sit up in bed, acted like it was just another lazy sunday at home. he watched tv, order chinese food, and incredibly, try to win her back. >> you have me right now ducktails and you are having a conversation with me, have you lost your mind? i just let him have it. i called him every name i could possibly think of. >> jerry seemed to lose it, seemona said 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. to do it in my house. and, in no time, he was back to normal again. >> the bizarre scene played out

for hours, seemona said she thought it was jerry's dramatic parting shot, but when she tried to get up from the bed she says he snapped. >> he grabbed me with one arm and pulled me right down the stairs -- >> how big of a man is he? >> he is 64. more than 200 pounds. >> forgive me, how big are you? >> hundred and ten pounds, 51, and i was duct tape so i couldn't control what was going on really much. >> he drags you down the basement? all >> the way down. >> she said she was lying on the basement floor when jerry wrap duct tape around her legs. >> he didn't utter a word. he just took on his clothes off, untied my robe, took off my underwear. and -- that was that. >> he rapes you? >> yes. >> and, you are powerless to resist him? >> yes. and, i'm trying to fight him off, but i can't. i can't breathe.

i really felt like i was going to pass out. he started to cry again. and apologized that he didn't mean to do this and he hopes that, you know, i don't report it. the last thing i think i said to him was, you should've just use the gun, why didn't you? >> jerry didn't answer, he simply grabbed his things and left. seemona called 9-1-1. >> what is your name man? >> seemona. >> what is the emergency? >> i was assaulted by my ex-boyfriend. and i need to make a report. he just left. >> jerry 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. >> in the bedroom? >> yes. >> not downstairs? >> no. >> consensual sex? >> sure. we were having sex all the time. it was never rape. >> 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. >> coming up -- a disturbing 9-1-1 call. a string of armed robberies and an astonishing twist. >> i stepped out of the car, handcuffs were placed on me. >> was jerry's accuser the real criminal? when dateline continues. ( ♪♪ ) and with once-daily trelegy, it can still be beautiful. because with 3 medicines in 1 inhaler, trelegy keeps my airways open for a full 24 hours and prevents future flare-ups. trelegy also improves lung function, so i can breathe more freely all day and night. trelegy won't replace a rescue inhaler for sudden breathing problems. tell your doctor if you have a heart condition or high blood pressure before taking it. do not take trelegy more than prescribed. trelegy may increase your risk of thrush, pneumonia,

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that'll be $19.45. oh, i'm just paying for my own salad. hey, you should try new robitussin honey medi-soothers for long-lasting cough and sore throat relief. try new robitussin lozenges with real medicine and find your voice. you know? we really need to work on your people skills. every day, more dog people are deciding it's time for a fresh approach to pet food. developed with vets. made from real meat and veggies. portioned for your dog. and delivered right to your door. it's smarter, healthier pet food. 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. >> 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. >> seemona wanted to see jerry behind bars. but on the night of may 21st, 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 were not regular patrol officers. >> detectives, plain clothing. i explained who i was. they did not seem to care. i was asked to step out of the car, handcuffs were placed on me. >> seemona was bewildered. she never been in contact with police before. more puzzling, they 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 days. >> we were having a conversation about all of these things, and nothing is making any sense to me. these people obviously think i did something. >> the detectives acted as though seemona was hiding something, and kept pressing her. her attorney, nick -- >> seemona was's a rest was a nightmare. she's not giving any information about why she's been arrested. she has no idea what's happening. it is just a terrifying shocking experience. >> seemona says she was even more shocked when she finally learned why she was there. a frantic 9-1-1 call had made her the suspect and an armed robbery. >> this is 9-1-1. what incident happened? >> i was mugged -- >> the collar was a woman named luz johnson, who had been driving in a quite long island neighborhood just over the border from queens. >> ma'am? when they pulled you over, they say they were officers? >> yes. >> she said it was two males, brown complexion.

one female, either indian or hispanic. >> she was pulled over by this male and female police officer in a jeep sharkey with a red flashing light. >> reporter sherrie covered the story for news 12 long island. >> they are wearing bulletproof vests with badges, shields hanging from their next. they have black semiautomatic who guns. >> but it turned out these were not police officers. johnson says they were bandits who robbed her at gunpoint, walking off with her money, 1400 dollars in cash. the ammo struck a chord with nassau county police, which 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 seem to be a routine traffic stop. and in each of the incidents, a female is often described as either spanish or indian. >> the first victim, a burly man in his twenties, described a harrowing confrontation with a petite woman posing as a cop. >> he tells police that she handcuffed him. and police find him wearing handcuffs. and he 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. >> that case went unsolved. five months later, the same thing happened to an optician named terrell laval. >> they had badges, they told me to pull over, pull over.

>> did they state that they were police? >> yes, they said they were police. was a woman and a guy. >> okay, female white? >> no, she was indian looking. >> he's able to describe a little more detail of the car that pulled him over. a jeep cherokee gray, with partial gold rims, with a flashing red light. >> still not enough to crack the case, until the night luz johnson became a victim number three. >> the police are with you -- >> johnson was inconsolable, so shaken she could barely put her sentiments 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'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 i. d.. >> each of the three victims is able to pick out seemona sumasar from a photo pack.

>> to prosecutors in nassau county, it looked like a mountain of evidence. they charged 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 have prosecuted a priest. i have prosecuted doctors, lawyers, boy scout leaders, people that you wouldn't think would be engaging in criminal activity, but yet they were. >> when you hear robbery and seemona, what was your first thought? >> i couldn't believe it. i didn't think she was like that. >> did you think this must be some horrible mistake? >> well, i believe that, you know, there's four sides to the story. >> for science? >> if the truth may be, whatever -- >> and in the case of seemona and jerry, all sides who are about to collide, exposing how far some people will go to exact revenge. ♪ ♪ ♪

>> coming up -- seemona's rage. >> in the email it says, revenge is sweet. >> there is no doubt that i had that. i'm not gonna deny that. >> but does she have an alibi in the robbery case? when dateline continues. ♪ ♪ ♪ (husband) they'd take this mess? (caroler) ♪ very much so. just trade in that old phone. ♪ ♪ for a free 5g phone, plus netflix and max ♪ (wife) you really just should have done that. (caroler) ♪ this didn't land, she didn't like that. ♪ (husband) honey! i immediately get it! (avo) this holiday turn any samsung phone, in any condition, into a galaxy s23+ on us. and now add netflix and max to your plan for just $10 a month. save big this holiday. only on verizon. - bye, bye cough. - later chest congestion. hello 12 hours of relief. 12 hours!! not coughing? hashtag still not coughing?! mucinex dm gives you 12 hours of relief from chest congestion and any type of cough, day or night. mucinex dm. it's comeback season.

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lester holt (voiceover): seemona sumasar was getting to know the justice ♪ ♪ ♪ system from both ends.

>> seemona sumasar was getting to know that 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, and a long island jail cell, charged with armed robbery, and impersonating a police officer. the prosecutor of her rape case found the charges are hard to believe. but he knew long island prosecutors had discovered a motive. >> she wasn't reporting her taxes. they eventually came to believe that harassment was failing, and that she was in desperate financial strains. >> i understand she had some money issues? >> a lot of money issues.

it was a lot of stuff going on. >> when they first started dating, jerry was at the restaurant all the time, reading customers, driving employees home, handling deliveries. he was so involved some people thought he was the boss. >> when did you go through the restaurant initially? >> first, i came in, i started assistant, because she was having problems. she had violations, several thousands of dollars and violations. they were coming after for taxes.

she had a small business loan, and she defaulted on the loan. there was a lot of stuff going on. >> was she a good business woman? >> she tried. she tried. >> jerry says seemona's financial situation got so bad he took charge of day-to-day operations. then, when seemona formed in your 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. >> you're seeing that seemona ended up selling the restaurant to you. >> correct. and they gave me notarized letter saying that it was sold to me. and they also transferred the light, the gas, all the utilities and my name. >> 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 sent was true at all. and i said, you know what? i can't take this anymore. >> and that's when seemona said 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 are never gonna put him in his place, someone needed to. >> there is no doubt that i had it in for him. i'm not gonna deny that. i explained to her that i'm trying to get him out of my life. it is not an easy thing to do. >> i mean, was this related to the fact that you had set this deadline -- >> yes, and i wanted him out. >> it was just one month later that seemona accused jerry of rape. >> why would she make that up? >> well, i whole problem was that you wanted to go back. after all the stuff i want to -- do you know how it sounds after all this time you accuse me of rape? it was like a nightmare. >> but now, the prosecutor, getting ready to bring jerry to trial for rape at his own nightmare. his star witness had lost her

most important credential, or credibility. >> we were presenting her as thoughtful, gentle, private woman. and essentially, you know, the defense would paint her as mall parker. >> 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 dropped 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. >> so, you've got three witnesses, who have identified you in the lineup, identified your car. to them, it seems like a pretty good case. do you understand that? >> yeah, i do understand that. >> but what seemona did not understand was why nassau county police and prosecutors were ignoring evidence she felt certain would clear her. most significant, she claimed she had an airtight alibi for the night of the third robbery. >> ma'am? >> yes. >> when they pulled you over, did they say they were officers? >> yes.

>> robbery victim luz johnson's 9-1-1 call was made on the night of may 19th, 2010, at 1 am, from 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. >> -- i'm not sure, but i know that i went to the mohegan, and i said, you probably won't believe me because i'm sure everybody is saying that they are innocent. but you could confront my family. my nephew was with me. >> seemona said she not only had a witness. she had concrete evidence. police were given security camera images of a woman resembling seemona at that 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 i am safe now. >> but prosecutors were not convinced. >> looking at that picture in the mohegan sun -- 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. >> seemona's attorney says police did not take her alibi seriously because they had already made up their minds. >> it was very clear that it is seemona in the picture. the records support it. with that kind of evidence, the full investigation should be conducted into what she's claiming. >> but nassau county police did not 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 to custody. >> at one point during the interrogation, i noticed that there is a folder, like a folder this high. and on top of it is this picture. >> whose picture? >> jerry's. they have a folder on him. i assume it's about the rape, everything i know about jerry, and what's going on. and that detective casually just says to me, well, this is not about him. i am thinking to myself, how can this not have anything to do with him? ♪ ♪ ♪ >> coming up -- a new witness comes forward and upends the entire case. >> she decided to go to the d. a.'s office and come clean. >> -- when dateline continues. hey, you should try new robitussin honey medi-soothers for long-lasting cough and sore throat relief. try new robitussin lozenges with real medicine and find your voice. you know? we really need to work on your people skills. want the power of 5 serum benefits in 1? new olay super serum activates on skin to hydrate, smooth, visibly firm, brighten, and improve texture. it's my best skin yet. olay

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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 >> 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 it is you? >> yeah, i say it every day. it's not my life. this could not have happened to me. it's like a bad dream.

>> 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 that at that time that this has to do with jerry. >> 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, they get a piece of evidence they think is credible, and they follow it to the exclusion of what else. and they were looking for ways to prove that she committed this crime. they were convinced she did. they were not looking for ways to prove that she didn't. >> as the months dragged on, seemona felt she's like minnesota twice, first by her ex boyfriend, and now by the

justice system. >> and it became difficult, you know, all the negative light because of my arrest, a lot of embarrassing things that my family had to, you know, go through. a lot of shame, a lot of guilt. like, how can i even explain what's going on, what's been said about me? >> then, just before christmas, a gift -- a woman arrived at the nassau county d. a.'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, showing 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 nasa d. a.'s office and come clean. >> the report said not only was seemona not involved in any robberies, but there were no robberies. >> i thought it was the police.

they had badges. >> the dramatic 9-1-1 calls, testimony, the evidence, all of it was fake to frame her. >> i couldn't say anything else. wait a minute,, are you kidding me? isn't it this what i was saying from day one? >> the informant provided stephan records linking the three robbery victims to the mastermind of an elaborate plot. it was not only the informants boyfriend, but the man seemona had suspected all along, jerry ramrattan. >> he was off to do whatever he could to discredit her. in jury's world, that was bringing false charges against her. and he did it in a very, very clever and it really masterful way to pin these crimes on her. >> 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 literally out. >> seemona was finally free when, she had paid a heavy price, she'd been separated from her young daughter for seven long months. >> how often did you get to see her 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, it's when i asked her dad to bring her. and i try to explain everything

to her in an hour, about how she shouldn't worry about anything. >> what was that like? >> that was the worst. ♪ ♪ ♪ >> 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. >> you see why this looks really bad, jerry? you are accused of rape by seemona. seemona suddenly ends up in jail accused of armed robbery. so, three people that they claim she did it, all related to you. >> they're not also all related to me. i trust the justice system. even though i wasn't done justice. i guarantee you the truth will come out. >> jerry insisted he did nothing wrong. the case for the defense -- the witnesses were lying. >> coming up -- the >> they lied about everything. it just takes any one juror to say i don't believe these people. >> -- when dateline continues. nerve down. and my patients say you know doc, it really works.

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lester holt (voiceover): the love between seemona sumsar and jerry ramrattan had long since been replaced by bitterness. lester holt: was she in love with you? i believe so. ♪ ♪ ♪ so how did love turn into hate like this? >> the love between seemona sumasar and jerry ramrattan had long since been replaced by bitterness. >> was she in love with you? >> i believe so. >> so, how did love turn into hate like this? money is a dangerous commodity. >> he is a sociopath. i don't believe that he would stop at anything to get what he wants. >> in november, 2011, the most intimate intimate secrets and grievances of the 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 gonna have to leave with his tail between his legs. that was something that, you know, 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. >> seemona took the stand and described the events of march 8th, 2009, hours of captivity in her own bedroom, followed by a brutal right. >> that must have been hard? >> it was. i went in there not knowing what to expect. i also reminded myself that i don't have anything to worry about, because i don't lie about anything. >> she relived her relationship with jerry on that witness stand. and she relived her or deal with jerry on that witness stand. and i thought every moment of her examination rang true and

was very powerful. >> the prosecution told the jury that seemona will's body oz a crime scene. semen recovered during her sexual assault exam contained jerry's dna. and there was evidence of a general laceration. >> must-win who are raped, there are no injuries. if there is an injury, that is indicative of a forcible act. >> the report included pictures of seemona's face and arms. >> there are duck date marks insisted with duct tape placed around her wrists.

>> prosecutor frank 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 then really supported her account. >> next, the jury heard about a fake robbery blot, as interviewed as an episode of csi, or law and order, what jerry's favorite crime dramas, the prosecution said it was brilliantly conceived, not by a real cup, as jerry claimed he once was, but by a detective wannabe, who turns out had once been convicted for robbery himself. >> i did not know early on when he was a police officer. he could not have been a police officer. we had a phony record. >> the prosecutors called the three so-called victims who had accused seemona of armed robbery -- even luz johnson who was a dramatic 9-1-1 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. >> the prosecution had painted an ugly picture of jerry ramrattan, a rapist, and schemer without conscience. >> i was shocked. i couldn't believe that someone would sit and wait a story like this.

look at the sloppy police work that was done in my case, the evidence that they produced at trial. >> even during that time period -- >> now, it was the defense's turned, jerry's lawyer challenged seemona and the 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 state? please, don't tell the police after i leave. it was just ridiculous. >> 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 duck taped came from that particular role. of course, his fingerprint was gonna be on the outside of one. he had placed it there on the bureau. >> kelly argued that medical analysis was flimsy, too, including the medical technicians report of the general laceration. >> he took photographs of it. and he did admit that even in 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 could not tell you that was from duct tape. >> kelley dismissed that conspiracy charge telling the jury that part of the case was built entirely on a testimony of confessed liars. >> these are low lives, they lie about everything. it just takes only one juror to say, i don't believe these people. they are all convicted perjurer's. i don't think seemona sumasar because she was in financial difficulty. she won't even admit that. >> 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 love and supported her, framing him in a desperate effort to get her restaurant back. and a dramatic moment, kelly presented a bill of sale in court, showing seemona have sold the golden trust to jerry for $120,000. >> when i actually saw that, i thought he really lost his mind. >> it's your signature there. it says you sold the restaurant for $120,000. >> 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 as $120,000 to give me.

>> jerry did not take the stand, and the defense called no witnesses. >> there was nothing to gain out of that. he didn't prove his case beyond reasonable doubt. i felt the jury will come back with a not guilty verdict. >> after a three-week trial, it was over. jerry's future and seemona's, too, were now in the hands of a jury. >> coming up -- a tough task for jurors. >> once the case gets into the hands of the jury, you never know what's going to happen. >> -- when dateline continues. e. you know? we really need to work on your people skills. what can you do with sensitive skin? ♪♪ cetaphil gentle skin cleanser does more than clean. it actually protects skin by keeping it hydrated.

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welcome back to "dateline." i'm andrea canning. 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? >> welcome back to dateline. i'm andrea canning. had a woman been framed by a bitter act as part of a devious blocked by revenge, as the prosecutors 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 with the jury believe? now with the conclusion of vengeance, once again, lester holt. ♪ ♪ ♪

>> for seemona sumasar, it had been an exhausting and emotional three weeks, a trial of her ex boyfriend was jerry ramrattan had taken her back to the worst days of her life. >> i can't believe that it's my life. it is something i should really be in a lifetime movie. even that's a bit too much. ♪ ♪ ♪ >> and now that the case was in the hands of a jury, seemona and prosecutor frank di gaetano were on edge. >> i'm never confronted. once the case gets to the hands of the jury, you never know what's going to happen. >> when deliberations got underway, the jury was divided.

>> tell me what the deliberations were like? >> at first, you know, it seemed like it was gonna be more like a hung jury. >> we spoke to five of the jurors. >> so, how many jurors were there? >> i'd say we probably started to three -- >> three people leaning towards acquittal. >> right. what about seemona? what were your thoughts as you looked out at her? >> strong woman. i was gonna say that exactly. >> she's a strong woman. >> you could see the emotion when she spoke, the tendons and everything. when she was reliving it and that movie. >> this was gonna be hard to try and figure all of this out

because there were so many things in so many contradictions. >> they jurors struggled for ten long hours before reaching a verdict. >> as count one, rape in the first degree, what is the verdict? >> guilty. >> jerry ramrattan guilty of rape -- and guilty of a conspiracy that landed seemona in jail. >> count 11, falsely reported an incident in the third degree, what's your verdict? >> guilty. >> the jury convicted him on 11 counts and all. >> i only hope to reach -- because in my mind, ultimately, that's all they needed to convict him for. >> can you step outside this far enough and, say if i'm hearing what this jury heard, this is an easy slam dunk conviction? >> no, it wasn't. sloppy police work. her story -- they were on emotions more than actual physical evidence. >> in the end, it was still a case of he said she said, and the jury had little trouble deciding who to believe. >> let me 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 mouth words, and very exaggerated facial gestures, very smog, big turn of. >> he's that b that has honey, but stings with his tail. >> and that stink nearly destroyed seemona sumasar's >> 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 are done because you are evil -- you're just -- i don't even have words for you. i don't. but i know that you are pro evil, and you are a sociopath, and you need help. and i hope that you take and use your time wisely to get that help you need. >> when jerry got his turn, he refused to take responsibility for his crimes. >> it's fine. you know, whatever has happened today has to happen, but it's no way done and over. i maintain my innocence. and there's more to come. it's not done. >> as he delivered the sentence,

the judge said jerry deserves no mercy. >> the evidence showed him to be a violent rapist and evil and vindictive schemer. a sinister manipulator, a diabolical gun over, the man who cold hardly endeavored to destroy an innocent victim, who he himself had abused and raped. >> but judge sentenced jerry ramrattan to 33 years in prison. he will not be eligible for parole until 2032. from behind bars, jerry still insists he's an innocent man, and puts the blame on seemona and his three coconspirators. >> we spoke to some of the jurors. and they said they really believed seemona. she was lying in the interview? >> yeah. i was shocked. >> did you ask any of these three people to concoct a story of seemona robbing them? >> no. >> they are boldface liars. >> oh, yeah. and i'm shown numerous times a lot of the stuff -- >> everyone's lying. you are the only one telling the truth here? >> well, it doesn't matter what i say, because on the bad guy right now. >> i still think that he believes in half of the lies that he told. and he looks at me as a the person who did this to him, and

not that he did this to himself. ♪ ♪ ♪ >> seemona sumasar was a victim of two crimes. but it did not 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. he turned my life upside down. >> seemona sued new york city and two of its detectives. she also sued nassau county and one of its detectives. a city defendant settled for an undisclosed amount. after a federal court dismissed

her claims for false arrests, the county defendants settled the remaining claims for $2 million. >> it is literally got gas. she couldn't have imagined this having happened to her. so, in terms of how this affected her life, i mean, you couldn't invent a worse nightmare for her. >> sometimes, the word victim implies someone week. how do you wrestle with the term a victim? how do you see yourself? >> i don't want to play the victim role. i'm stronger than that. i am better than that. so, you just have to let it go, and i say, what's done is done, and just leave it alone. >> that's all for this edition of dateline. i'm andrea canning. thanks for joining us. ♪ ♪ ♪