Jimmy Solano-Arias, 45, of the Bronx, New York City, New York, United States worked as an armed security guard at the Jacob K. Javits Federal Office Building at 26 Federal Plaza in Manhattan, New York City. The building has 41 stories, making it the tallest federal building in the U.S.
Who is Jimmy Solano-Arias?
Before Solano-Arias came to the U.S. and gained citizenship, he was a lawyer in the Dominican Republic, according to him. The company that employed as a security guard in the U.S. contracts with the Department of Homeland Security’s Federal Protective Service.
Solano-Arias’s job was to provide armed security service at the Jacob K. Javits Federal Office Building, which is across the street from the federal courts complex where the Federal Bureau of Investigation has its New York headquarters. On May 4, 2023, he spotted a man in a line to submit an asylum application.
Wearing a black and gray security guard uniform and carrying an employer-issued firearm, Solano-Arias offered to assist the man with paperwork. The security guard led the asylum seeker to a locked office on the second floor of the building where the former demanded the latter to perform oral sex.
The asylum seeker initially resisted but later complied, fearing for his life because the abuser put his hand on his holstered firearm. The victim was able to use his cellphone to record a brief video of Solano-Arias, which he used when he reported the assault to authorities.
On May 5, 2023, Solano-Arias came to work where he was confronted and arrested by FBI agents. He denied the encounter before claiming that the oral sex was consensual.
On April 10, 2024, Solano-Arias pleaded guilty in Manhattan federal court to lying to federal law enforcement agents following his sexual abuse of the asylum seeker. On September 13, 2024, Judge Paul G. Gardephe sentenced Solano-Arias to five years in prison and three years of supervised release.
CONAN Daily 