Note: 13WHAM does not release the names of victims of sexual crimes.
(Rochester, N.Y.) -- On Wednesday, Judge Alex Renzi sentenced former Greece Police officer Gary Pignato to two to six years in prison after he was convicted of coercing a woman into sex, accepting sex as a bribe, and official misconduct.
The day after, the victim in this case called it "a victory for justice," and celebrated by cutting the grass, pulling weeds, and doing other physical work in her yard.
"I just have to stay busy, it keeps my mind off the things I don’t want to think about,” she said.
Those "things" include the summer night Pignato responded to a domestic dispute at her home.
“It’s a nightmare that doesn’t go away,” she said while standing in the driveway of her home. “You find yourself reliving the events over and over.”
As she talks about it, her hands, shoulders--even her hair--tremble. It is much the same reaction she had sitting in court on Wednesday watching the sentencing.
"I had hoped and prayed for justice every night, but I never, never, thought I’d get it," she said Thursday.
New York State allows victims to make an impact statement on the day of sentencing and she had planned to tell her story in court: how she no longer feels safe riding in an elevator alone with a man she doesn’t know; how seeing anyone in uniform fills her with fear.
But, those words went unspoken in the courtroom. When asked if she was ready to speak, she shook her head.
"I felt the weight of the world on my shoulders," she said. "I remember testifying, his eyes bore right into me. I couldn’t do that again."
However, as is also his right, Pignato did address the court. He pleaded for leniency on behalf of his two daughters, ages 11 and 14. He said by losing his career, his source of income, and spending time in the county lock-up he had suffered enough.
"It reminded me of how he was that night," his victim said. "He was arrogant and cocky and not considering me or any of the other women. It made me sick and angry."
Thirteen other women have filed "Jane Doe" briefs against former officer Gary Pignato.
Since it’s likely most of those cases will never go to trial, this victim--designated "Jane Doe 2"--said Thursday she was speaking out on their behalf.
She will also testify in another case against Pignato, after which she plans to leave the state. She’ll take her dignity with her, she said, along with a better life.
She has entered rehabilitation to help with the drug and alcohol habits that led to the police call the night Pignato was on duty.
She has been clean and sober for a year and plans to stay that way.
“It’s hard to think of something good coming out of this, but I got my life back,” she said.
