A Brooklyn teen accused of rape at a Hudson Valley college copped a plea deal with prosecutors for community service, authorities say.
Anthony Pennachio, 19, who is a student at Mount St. Mary College, was arrested in March on first-degree rape charges at the campus, according to police.
But as part of the agreement with the Orange County District Attorney’s Office, the teen pleaded guilty to downgraded charges of third-degree sexual abuse on May 18, records show.
Prosecutors said in his plea allocution, Pennachio admitted that he subjected the victim to sexual contact without her consent.
He was sentenced to 80 hours of community service and ordered to stay away from the victim, the DA’s Office said.
The plea deal was hammered out after consultation with the victim, prosecutors said.
“My client and his family are deeply saddened that the Newburgh Police Department detectives, who made this Rape First Degree arrest, rushed to judgement without interviewing key witnesses in this alleged incident,” the teen’s attorney, James DiPietro, said in a statement.