| For Immediate Release Case # 09HF1288
July 22, 2009 |
Susan Kang Schroeder Public Affairs Counsel Office: 714-347-8408 Cell: 714-292-2718 Farrah Emami |
DRY-CLEANING BUSINESS MANAGER TO BE ARRAIGNED FOR RAPING AND FALSELY IMPRISONING 17-YEAR-OLD FEMALE EMPLOYEE
IN HIS COSTA MESA HOME
NEWPORT BEACH – A dry-cleaning business manager will be arraigned tomorrow for raping one of his 17-year-old female employees after luring her to his home and keeping her there against her will under the pretense of picking up business paperwork. Jaime Zamora Ramirez, 40, Costa Mesa, is charged with one felony count of forcible rape and one felony count of false imprisonment by violence and deceit. If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of eight years and eight months in state prison. Ramirez is being held on $250,000 bail and is scheduled to be arraigned tomorrow, Thursday, July 22, 2009, at 9:00 a.m. in Department H-2, Harbor Justice Center, Newport Beach.
In the morning on July 11, 2009, Ramirez, a manager of First Class Cleaners in Fountain Valley, is accused of instructing a co-worker to have 17-year-old employee, Jane Doe, help with “special deliveries,” normally requiring employees to drop-off and pick-up customer dry-cleaning.
The defendant is accused of telling a co-worker to drive Jane Doe to Ramirez’s Costa Mesa home to pick up some paperwork for the business when they finished that day’s deliveries. Upon Jane Doe’s arrival, the defendant is accused of luring her into his home and leading her to a room where he said the paperwork was located. Once Jane Doe had entered the room, Ramirez is accused of locking the door and raping her. Ramirez is accused of threatening to report Jane Doe’s undocumented immigration status if she reported the rape and warning that no one would believe her story.
Directly following the attack, Jane Doe told co-workers what happened and then reported the incident to the Costa Mesa Police Department (CMPD). On July 16, 2009, Ramirez was arrested by CMPD detectives at First Class Cleaners.
Anyone with additional information or who believes they have been a victim is encouraged to contact Supervising District Attorney Investigator Tim Craig at (714) 347-8558 or Costa Mesa Police Detective Mike Manson at (714) 754-5360.
Deputy District Attorney Tony Ferrentino of the Sexual Assault Unit is prosecuting this case.
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