Queens Man Indicted For Strangling A Woman On Cruise Ship

Geoffrey S. Berman, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, and William F. Sweeney Jr., the Assistant Director-in-Charge of the New York Field Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”), announced the Indictment of CARLOS BATISTA JR., charging him with strangling and suffocating the woman he was dating. 

U.S. Attorney Geoffrey S. Berman said:  As alleged, Carlos Batista Jr. assaulted his girlfriend while on a cruise, grabbing and choking her until she passed out.  Thankfully others on the ship came to her aid.  Now Batista is back on New York soil and must answer for his alleged criminal actions.”

According to the allegations in the Indictment and the Complaint[1]:

As alleged in the criminal Complaint and the Indictment, following a dispute on September 8, 2018, with his girlfriend, BATISTA grabbed, dragged, pushed, and pulled the victim through the hallways of the cruise ship.  When the victim screamed for help, BATISTA covered her mouth and restricted her breathing, at one point causing the victim’s body to go limp.  Ultimately, BATISTA dragged the victim into his cabin and continued to assault her until others on the ship, who responded to the screaming, were able to open BATISTA’s cabin door where they found BATISTA with his arm around the victim’s neck.

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BATISTA, 22, of Elmhurst, New York, has been charged with one count of assault of a spouse, intimate partner, or dating partner by strangling or suffocating, which carries a maximum sentence of 10 years.  The maximum potential sentences are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the judge.

Mr. Berman praised the work of the FBI.

This case is being handled by the Office’s General Crimes Unit.  Assistant United States Attorney Ryan B. Finkel and Mathew Hellman are in charge of the prosecution.

The charges contained in the Indictment are merely accusations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.