A Philadelphia man accused of raping an Athens woman he met over the Internet continued calling the alleged victim after the alleged assault, according to phone records.
Prosecutors say Charles Nguyen, 31, traveled to Athens and raped a local woman, using duct tape to restrain her during the attack.
The alleged victim also filed stalking charges against Nguyen after reporting the rape, according to court records. The order was granted.
Nguyen met her over the Internet in February, and they talked over the phone for months before Nguyen came to meet her and her family in Athens on May 9, according to her request.
Nguyen stayed in Athens until May 17 when the woman drove him to the Columbus airport for his flight home, she wrote in her request, adding that she had broken off the relationship.
He returned two days later and raped her, she said in her complaint. She reported the rape that same day after Nguyen had left.
Police and prosecutors have said the alleged rape took place at 9 a.m., but Nguyen called the alleged victim at 9:52 a.m. from Portsmouth, Ohio and they talked for about 12 minutes, according to phone records made public as part of a search warrant.
He then called a little after midnight the next day - less than 17 hours after the alleged rape. Had they talked, it was for less than a minute, according to phone records.
He also sent her two text messages just before 7 p.m. that day and once later that night - hours after the alleged incident. Records are not available to determine whether he called or text messaged her again after that.
The woman reported in her petition that, after Nguyen returned to Athens and allegedly raped her, he continued sending text messages, asking for her forgiveness and saying that he still wanted to be friends.
Nguyen sent his final text message to the alleged victim on May 27, according to phone records.
The two talked often in the months leading up to Nguyen's visit, according to phone records. In some instances they talked several times each day - with numerous conversations lasting over an hour.
In others, Nguyen would call up to seven or eight times over as many minutes with each connection lasting less than one minute.
Out of 550 calls he made and received between March 28 and April 28, 212 were between he and the victim, according to phone records. Nguyen called the victim 110 times between the two dates with her calling him 79 times.
He also talked to his alleged victim 54 times in May before he came to Athens.
Each call listed on the bill is equal to one connection. Even if Nguyen did not actually speak with the woman or leave a message, the bill would round the charge up to one minute.
Prosecutors indicted Charles Nguyen, 31, of Philadelphia, on rape, kidnapping, aggravated burglary and tampering with evidence charges in May. Police arrested him in New York, where he was reportedly studying medicine, in June.
Rape, kidnapping and aggravated burglary are all first-degree felonies that carry maximum sentences of 10 years in prison. Tampering with evidence is a third-degree felony with a five-year maximum sentence.
Nguyen could spend 35 years in prison if convicted.
His trial is scheduled to begin on September 1.
- Amanda Baker, Jesse Hathaway and Amanda Lucci contributed to this report.
1 News
Frank Thomas
