(Newser)
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Two New York City cops have been cleared of rape charges in a high-profile case. Officers Kenneth Moreno and Franklin Mata were accused in the assault of a drunken woman in her apartment after being called to help her out of a taxi. The 29-year-old woman accused Moreno of raping her while Mata kept lookout in another room. The two suspended cops aren't entirely out of trouble, though: Jurors convicted them of official misconduct for taking the woman's keys and returning to her apartment three times that night without telling superiors, reports the AP.
Moreno said they did so to check on the woman. He said that he spooned with the woman on her bed while counseling her about her drinking but that they never had sex. He also said he had to fend off her drunken advances. The Daily News reports that the men "looked stunned" when the verdict was announced. They could have gotten 25 years in jail if convicted. They could get up to two years, or no jail time at all, on the misconduct conviction.
