A Sycamore Township man is facing charges of making false statements related to a 1989 rape case following his arrest by federal agents. Frederick Louis Tanzer, 66, appeared in federal court in Dayton after his home and vehicles were searched. According to a statement from the U.S. Attorney's Office, Southern District of Ohio, officials are seeking information from the public on this or any similar incidents.
As it stands, Tanzer, a medical doctor who has worked in Ohio, Kansas, and Colorado, was recently pegged as the prime suspect in the decades-old sexual assault case. His association with the case surfaced through DNA evidence found on a disposable Starbucks cup he left at a local BMV, which was matched to the genetic profile from the 1989 crime scene. According to an affidavit, when approached by FBI agents today, Tanzer is alleged to have made several materially false statements, including a denial of having seen or interacted with a victim on the day she was raped.
Federal authorities have detailed the crime on August 1, 1989. The victim was attacked in her Cincinnati condominium, suffering a violent assault that lasted over five hours, according to an affidavit cited in the federal complaint. The assailant used peculiar methods to hinder and intimidate the victim, including the use of white surgical tape and Vaseline and threats of further violence if law enforcement were contacted. Eyewitness descriptions place the assailant as a white male, around six feet tall, with an athletic build, dressed entirely in black Lycra.
The public has been urged by officials, including United States Attorney Kenneth L. Parker and FBI Special Agent in Charge Elena Iatorola, to come forward with any pertinent details that could assist the ongoing investigation. Anyone with information about this incident or similar cases is encouraged to contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI. The effort is a collaboration between the FBI Cincinnati Division, Cincinnati Police, and the IRS-Criminal Investigation Cincinnati Field Office. At the same time, Assistant United States Attorneys Kelly K. Rossi and Julie D. Garcia represent the United States in the prosecution. Let us also note that a criminal complaint is not a conviction, and the accused remains innocent until proven guilty.
