A 33-year-old Yonkers man is facing a 27-count indictment accusing him of luring two women from Europe to the United States through dating apps, then raping and sexually abusing them inside his White Plains apartment over a span of months. Pablo Alexander De La Cruz was arrested on July 10 by White Plains police and arraigned in Westchester County Court on August 12, where he pleaded not guilty before Judge Robert Prisco. He remains held at Westchester County Jail on bail set at $400,000 cash, a $2 million bond, or a $3 million partially secured bond.
According to prosecutors, De La Cruz separately targeted the two women — one from Eastern Europe and one from Northern Europe — on dating apps by feigning interest in pursuing genuine romantic relationships, as reported by Daily Voice. Per the indictment, he allegedly purchased plane tickets for both women and brought each of them to his White Plains apartment after they arrived in the country, according to Yonkers Times.
Allegations Span Months, Two Separate Victims
The first woman traveled to the United States in March 2026 and was allegedly sexually assaulted starting the day she arrived, an ordeal prosecutors say continued for approximately two months, per the indictment. Daily Voice's reporting states that after she lost her passport, De La Cruz refused to help her before she managed to escape the apartment and alert police, who launched the investigation that led to his arrest.
The second woman traveled to the U.S. in June 2026 and was allegedly raped the day after she arrived, the same account notes. Days later, when she resisted further advances, she was allegedly forced out of the apartment without housing, after which she sought medical treatment and reported the assault to police.
Charges Include Rape, Imprisonment and Secret Recording
The indictment lists five counts of first-degree rape, five counts of third-degree rape, four counts of first-degree sexual abuse, four counts of third-degree sexual abuse, and six counts of forcible touching, according to Yonkers Times. De La Cruz also faces charges of second-degree unlawful imprisonment, second-degree unlawful surveillance, and criminal obstruction of breathing or blood circulation. Prosecutors allege he secretly recorded sexual activity with the first victim.
Under New York Penal Law § 130.35, first-degree rape is a Class B violent felony carrying a mandatory minimum of five years and a maximum of up to 25 years in prison per count upon conviction, according to Stengel Law. With five top-tier counts alone, De La Cruz faces the possibility of decades behind bars if convicted.
DA Points to Exploited Trust, Invites More Witnesses
Westchester County District Attorney Susan Cacace announced the indictment and did not mince words about the allegations. “The defendant preyed upon the vulnerabilities of these young women, exploiting their trust,” Cacace said, according to Patch, while calling the alleged conduct reprehensible and deeply disturbing. Her office is asking anyone with additional information to come forward to the District Attorney's office or White Plains Police.
White Plains Police Commissioner Wade Hardy said the indictment underscores the department's commitment to integrity and victim protection. The case is being prosecuted by Mollie O'Rourke and Michelle Lopez, and the investigation — led jointly by White Plains police and the Westchester County District Attorney's Criminal Investigators Squad, which also assisted with the arrest — remains ongoing, the District Attorney's office reported. De La Cruz's next court appearance is scheduled for November 17.
Case Lands Amid Falling Local Crime Rates
The indictment arrives even as Westchester County officials reported in May that violent crime across the county fell 25 percent in 2025 compared to the prior year, with total index crimes dropping 17 percent and notable declines in violent offenses in White Plains, per Daily Voice. In Yonkers, where De La Cruz resides, Mayor Mike Spano and city police reported in January that overall crime dropped 16 percent in 2025, reaching some of the lowest violent crime levels in the city's history, according to the City of Yonkers.
The case also fits a pattern the DA's Special Victims Bureau has pursued in recent months. In March, Cacace's office charged a New York City man with first-degree rape over an assault at a New Rochelle marina attack. Federal authorities including the FTC and FBI have separately warned that romance and confidence scams accounted for $1.14 billion in reported consumer losses in 2023, with total imposter fraud losses reaching $3.5 billion in 2025, according to Index Fund Advisors. The Federal Communications Commission has noted that scammers frequently move communications off mainstream dating platforms to private messaging apps in order to isolate targets before exploiting financial or physical leverage over them.
