Nicol Alexandra Contreras-Suarez, a 31-year-old Colombian national, pleaded guilty Tuesday to second-degree rape in Manhattan Supreme Court. The plea deal follows the sexual assault of a 14-year-old boy inside an East Harlem bodega bathroom in February 2025.
Under the terms of the agreement, Suarez was promised a sentence of six months in jail. Because Suarez has remained in custody since the arrest and has already served that duration, the defendant will have no additional time to serve behind bars following the formal sentencing scheduled for April 27.
The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office defended the resolution on Wednesday, stating the decision was reached in close consultation with the victim’s family. Prosecutors noted that the plea spares the teenager from the trauma of testifying before a grand jury and during a multi-day trial.
“We expect the defendant to remain detained and be deported following sentencing, due to the felony conviction,” a spokesperson for the District Attorney’s Office said in a statement. Officials with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement have already obtained a detainer for Suarez.
The assault occurred on February 11, 2025, at a business across from Thomas Jefferson Park. Prosecutors stated that Suarez followed the teenager into the bodega and committed the assault before the victim was able to flag down bystanders for assistance. Suarez was apprehended the following day.
At the time of the initial arrest, records indicated that Suarez was also wanted in Massachusetts on several unrelated charges, including robbery, weapons possession, and prostitution. Federal immigration authorities have monitored the case closely since the defendant's initial processing.
The case has intensified the ongoing national debate regarding sanctuary city policies and federal border security. Under the current administration of President Donald Trump, federal agencies have maintained a strict policy of seeking the immediate removal of non-citizens convicted of violent felonies.
While New York City’s sanctuary status limits local cooperation with federal civil deportation matters, the felony conviction provides a legal pathway for federal agents to take Suarez into custody immediately upon release from the city's Department of Correction next month.