Manhattan District Attorney Alvin L. Bragg, Jr. today announced the sentencing of JAMEL MCIVER, 31, to 20 years in state prison for following a 21-year-old woman into her Upper West Side apartment building and raping her in March 2023. MCIVER pleaded guilty in a New York State Supreme Court to one count of Rape in the First Degree on October 10, 2024.     

“Jamel McIver viciously threatened and raped a woman in the building she called home, causing indescribable fear and pain that she and her loved ones still endure today,” said District Attorney Bragg. “I thank this brave survivor for coming forward and sincerely hope the resolution of this case can offer her a sense of justice. My office will continue to center survivors and we encourage victims of sexual assault to call our trauma-informed Special Victims Division at 212-335-9373.”  

According to court documents and statements made on the record in court, and as admitted in the defendant’s guilty plea, on March 4, 2023, a 21-year-old woman was returning home after a night out. At approximately 1:20 a.m., MCIVER followed the woman while she was walking into the elevator of her apartment building, near West 64th Street and Amsterdam Avenue. He threatened the woman and pulled her into a stairwell where he sexually assaulted and raped her. He continued threatening her during the sexual assault. MCIVER pulled the woman down multiple staircases and eventually outside the building, where he threatened her a final time, before letting her go. MCIVER removed his jacket and sweatshirt and fled the scene. 

Assistant D.A.s Jonathan Carfagno and James Clarke (Trial Bureau 40) handled the prosecution of the case under the supervision of Assistant D.A.s Shannon Lucey (Deputy Chief of the Special Victims Division), Vanessa Puzio (Deputy Chief of the Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Bureau, “IPSVB”), Nicole Blumberg (Chief of the IPSVB), and Executive Assistant D.A. Justin McNabney (Chief of the Special Victims Division). Former IPSVB Analyst Noah Taylor provided valuable assistance. The Survivor Services Bureau also provided valuable support, particularly Special Victims Counselor Nakeisha Vanterpool.

D.A. Bragg also thanked the NYPD, particularly Police Officer Mark Polak of the Manhattan Special Victims Squad.  

Defendant Information: 

JAMEL MCIVER

New York, NY

Convicted:

• Rape in the First Degree, a class B felony, one count

Sentenced:

• 20 years in state prison, 15 years post-release supervision and SORA registration

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