| For Immediate Release June 22nd, 2005 |
Contact: | Mark Macaulay Media Relations Spokesperson (714) 347-8405 |
ORANGE COUNTY GRAND JURY INDICTS DANA POINT WOMAN FOR FALSELY ACCUSING 6 MEN OF KIDNAP AT GUN POINT AND RAPE
Santa Ana – Tamara Anne Moonier, 29, of Dana Point, has been indicted by the Orange County Grand Jury for falsely accusing six men of kidnap at gun point and rape. The defendant is accused of falsely reporting the crime and filling out an application for state emergency funds and receiving a check for $1,850. If convicted on all charges, Moonier faces a sentence between probation and four years, eight months in state prison.
On the morning of June 6, 2004, Moonier went to the Fullerton Police Department and reported that she had been kidnapped a few hours earlier outside of a bar in Fullerton and taken to an unknown location where six men raped her. The case was investigated by the Fullerton Police Department and a tape of the alleged crime was provided by one of the accused men. The tape shows Moonier actively participating and orchestrating the sexual encounters. The tape contradicted her rape accusations against the men.
“These types of crimes are dangerous because they have the potential to put people in prison for the rest of their lives for a crime they did not commit,” said Orange County Deputy District Attorney Paul Chrisopoulos. “If these six men had been charged and convicted, they faced the possibility of life in prison. In addition, the funds that Ms. Moonier received are reserved for victims of crime to be used for emergency relocation, hospital bills and counseling. When the fund is used for a fraudulent purpose, then it hurts the availability of resources for true victims.”
Moonier is set to be arraigned on Friday, July 8, 2005, in department C5 of the Central Justice Center, 700 Civic Center Drive W., Santa Ana, CA 92701. Deputy District Attorney Paul Chrisopoulos has been assigned to prosecute the case.
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