OXFORD, Ohio -- A judge has handed down the maximum sentence to a former Ohio college student charged with sexually assaulting an unconscious woman and capturing it on video.
Nicholas Cristescu, of Cleveland, was sentenced to five years in prison Monday. The 20-year-old had previously pleaded guilty to gross sexual imposition. Other charges of rape and sexual battery were dismissed.
Prosecutors said the former Miami University student recorded himself having sex with the woman after giving her a drug that rendered her unconscious in October 2017.
The victim said during Cristescu’s sentencing hearing Monday that her life “will never be the same.”
Cristescu’s attorney said that his client has expressed remorse and he “sincerely and profusely apologizes” to the victim.
Nine letters from Cristescu's friends were written to the judge, according to WCPO media partner the Journal-News.
Cristescu was a sophomore studying finance at Miami University before his arrest. His attorney also said he was also a member of Theta Chi and a member of the Real Estate Club.
But Assistant Prosecutor Kelly Heile told the judge the amount of pornography found in Cristescu’s possession, some including a minor, shows and entirely different person than the man supporters talk about in the letters.
"The amount of pornography and nudity the state located on defendant’s phone was extreme. It was one of the worst that I have seen," Hiele said. She added two of the letters of support for Cristescu came from people who tried to lie for him and cover up his actions.
Cristescu will be classified as a Tier I sex offender.
