A former Connecticut college student who claimed she was raped by two men during an off-campus party in 2016 and then later admitted to lying appeared to roll her eyes in court as one of the victims spoke about how the allegations ruined his life.
Nikki Yovino, 20, of South Setauket, New York, was sentenced Thursday in Bridgeport Superior Court to one year in jail after pleading guilty in June to misdemeanor charges of falsely reporting an incident and interfering with police.
Yovino was attending Sacred Heart University in Fairfield when she reported being raped by two school football players at an off-campus party in Bridgeport in October 2016. But police said she later admitted making up the allegations so she wouldn’t ruin a relationship with a potential boyfriend.
The two students remained anonymous up until Thursday, when one of the men, Malik St. Hilaire, read a victim impact statement to the courtroom saying Yovino’s false claims got him expelled from school.
Law & Crime reports that Yovino smirked and appeared to roll her eyes repeatedly as St. Hilaire addressed the room.
Nikki Yovino, 20, was sentenced to one year in jail for falsely claiming two football players at Sacred Heart University in Connecticut raped her during a party
‘I went from being a college student to sitting at home being expelled with no way to clear my name,’ St. Hilaire said. ‘I just hope she knows what she has done to me, my life will never be the same. I did nothing wrong, but everything has been altered because of this.’
Yovino, who was 19 at the time, told police that she was sexually assaulted in the bathroom during a party in October 2016
According to the outlet, someone standing close to Yovino during the hearing said she also groaned as St. Hilaire spoke and she showed ‘no remorse’.
Her attorney denied Yovino rolled her eyes saying that it had been a ‘difficult day for Nikki and her family’.
Yovino had originally been charged felony tampering with evidence and misdemeanor falsely reporting an incident. She accepted a plea deal in June which reduced her charges and her sentence to only a year behind bars.
Frank Riccio III, who is representing the football players, read a statement from the second man, who does not want to be identified. The man said he lost his football scholarship because of Yovino’s allegations and suffers from depression and anxiety.
‘She accused me of what I believe to be a horrendous, horrific crime out of her own selfish concerns,’ the unidentified student’s statement read, according to The Hour.
‘I lost my scholarship, my dream of continuing to play football and now I am in debt $30,000 and I’m simply trying to get ahead as best as I can.’
She later admitted to lying about being raped saying that she made it up because she didn’t want to ruin things with a potential boyfriend. She’s pictured during a 2017 court appearance with her attorney
Both players are considering suing Yovino in civil court.
Yovino’s lawyers had said police pressured her into making a false confession. Attorney Ryan O’Neill previously said she told police the football players had sex with her against her will, but never used the terms rape or sexual assault.
The football players were never arrested, but both withdrew from the school while facing possible discipline. Both said they had consensual sex with Yovino.
Judge William Holden said he hoped Yovino would spend her jail time contemplating her actions. Prosecutor Tatiana Messina said Yovino’s crimes were a ‘disservice’ to true sexual assault victims, who often are not believed.