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An 18-year-old student of Sacret Heart University was arrested after she falsely claimed that she was sexually assaulted by two college football players at a football party in October, the Connecticut Post reports.
Nikki Yovino of South Setauket, New York had two men suspended from their team and lost their scholarships after she accused them of raping her. Yovino had been charged with second-degree falsely reporting an incident and tampering with or fabricating physical evidence.
When investigators found discrepancies and holes in Yovino’s statement, she eventually caved in and confessed that she fabricated the rape allegations against the two men.
Yovino said that she only did it to gain sympathy from a potential boyfriend, according to an arrest warrant affidavit.
The affidavit states, “She admitted that she made up the allegation of sexual assault against (the football players) because it was the first thing that came to mind and she didn’t want to lose (another male student) as a friend and potential boyfriend.
“She stated that she believed when (the other male student) heard the allegation, it would make him angry and sympathetic to her.”
When police responded to the hospital where Yovino was at, she told them that two men took her into a bathroom in the basement of the house. After holding her down, they took turns in raping her.
The incident happened on October 15 at a house on Lakeside Drive in Bridgeport, Connecticut. According to the police, Yovino told the two men, “I don’t want to be in here, I don’t want to do anything. My friends are waiting for me outside, let me go outside.”
When investigators interrogated the two football players, they both claimed that they had sex with Yovino and it was consensual.
Other students who were present at the party said that they witnessed Yovino entering the bathroom with the two men. They also said that it seemed like she was willing to go in with them.
Mark Sherman, Yovino’s attorney, wrote in an email, “The details of what happened here will come out at the appropriate time during the court process.”
Sherman also wrote, “My client denies the allegations and stands by her original story.”
According to New York Post, University spokesperson Deborah Noack wrote in an email, “However, I can say that the facts as presented in the Connecticut Post article you are referencing are not entirely accurate.”
Noack continued, “Whenever there is any kind of incident at Sacred Heart University, we go to great lengths to ensure due process for all parties involved. The way that this particular case is playing out certainly demonstrates the validity of our procedures.”
Yovino was released after she posted $5,000 bond. She could face up to five in prison if she was convicted of the felony. According to the Connecticut Post, university officials refused to give out information regarding the other students.
Yovino is a psychology and pre-med student at Sacred Heart University, according to her Facebook profile.
