Woman headed to prison for rape claims

• Tweet

NEW YORK, Feb. 24 (UPI) -- A New York judge said a woman will spend one to three years in prison for falsely accusing a man of rape, resulting in him serving prison time.

Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Charles Solomon sentenced Biurny Peguero Gonzalez to prison for perjury connected to rape allegations she made against William McCaffrey in 2005, The New York Post said Wednesday.

As a result of the rape allegations, McCaffrey served nearly four years in prison.

"What happened in this case is one of the worst things that can possibly happen in our criminal justice system," Solomon said of the wrongful conviction of McCaffrey, 33.

The Post said Gonzalez, 27, recanted her allegations in 2009, saying she made up the story to gain sympathy from a group of her friends.

"To Mr. McCaffrey, I am aware that nothing I do or say to him can bring back the years he spent in jail," said the mother-of-two, who will be eligible for parole after a year in prison. "I want him to know I will carry this guilt for the rest of my life."