(Newser)
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A member of a Saudi prince's entourage has been sentenced to ten years in prison for raping one woman and trying to rape another in Manhattan's Plaza Hotel. Prosecutors said 61-year-old Mustapha Ouanes lured a 26-year-old bartender and her friend back to the plush hotel with promises of an expensive champagne breakfast, and attacked them after they fell asleep in his room, reports the New York Daily News.
Ouanes, a married businessman from Algeria, was traveling with Prince Abdul Aziz bin Fahd, whose wealth was a recurring theme in the trial, notes the New York Times. The billionaire prince's entourage occupied more than 50 rooms in the hotel. The victim testified that she had only recently started to recover from the February 2010 attack with the help of therapy, and that Ouanes had displayed a sense of "entitlement" and seemed sure he would not be arrested. His lawyer called for a lighter sentence, arguing that Ouanes had a heart condition that would cost taxpayers a lot of money if he was jailed.
