A disturbing lawsuit alleges that a textile worker operated a “rape room” at a Queens factory belonging to a prominent British clothing brand, where he brazenly targeted female coworkers.
Greenpoint resident Aleksandra Pietras reported that a male co-worker began his disturbing behavior just weeks after she started at the factory operated by the French Connection, allegedly assaulting her numerous times over the course of a year, as stated in her lawsuit filed on Sunday.
According to the lawsuit, Jose Sabando, 45, reportedly took Pietras to secluded areas of the Hollis factory to carry out an assault, ultimately breaking a padlock to access an empty room where he continued his abusive actions.
Within the space, Pietras alleges she endured rape on at least four additional occasions, with the floor marked by handprints and fluids, as detailed in the lawsuit and images provided to The Post.
The man’s notorious behavior was so widely recognized in the factory that the predominantly female and Polish staff advised one another to steer clear of him as he prowled the hallways during work hours, anticipating the passage of women, according to the lawsuit.
The lawsuit filed by Pietras alleges that at least four other Polish colleagues were targeted, with claims that the factory supervisors either had knowledge of or deliberately overlooked the ongoing sexual harassment by the worker.
Pietras was terminated shortly after she issued a threat to involve law enforcement unless he ceased his actions, according to her lawsuit filed in Brooklyn Supreme Court, which lists Sabando, factory supervisors, and the French Company as defendants.
Through her lawyer, who translated from Polish, Pietras expressed her fear of leaving her home.
Pietras started her minimum wage position as a textile worker at the factory for a well-known clothing company with a bold branding approach on Jamaica Avenue in June 2023.
Immediately, she spotted Sabando, a lively textile worker known for his friendly banter and humor, engaging with everyone around him, including her, Pietras remarked.
According to the lawsuit, shortly after starting her job, Sabando “started to follow and confront” her during work hours.
Pietras abruptly seized her and began kissing her, thrusting his tongue into her mouth without uttering a single word.
Following that moment, Sabando allegedly started to pull Pietras into a secluded area behind a column in an unoccupied corridor on the second floor of the French Connection Factory, where he would purportedly compel her to engage in sexual intercourse repeatedly, according to the lawsuit.
The violent incidents would continue for about five minutes until he was done, and usually took place towards the end of her shift, Pietras noted, when the factory was less busy.
Following that incident, the disturbing claims of assault became a frequent occurrence for Pietras, who reported being victimized “dozens” of times from that summer through the end of 2023.
She declined to take breaks at work to stay on the factory floor, she shared with The Post, and her efforts to find a new job were unsuccessful.
After her seasonal job wrapped up in November, Pietras made her way back to Poland for a few months. She returned to New York City and the factory last spring.
During her time in Poland, Sabando reportedly broke open a locked door at the factory where he now brought his victims — and where Pietras “noticed numerous handprints and substances on the floors and walls,” according to the lawsuit.
Pietras began to confide in her Polish colleagues and discovered that Sabando’s abusive behavior was widely known, with previous victims reportedly being dismissed once the perpetrator lost interest in them, according to the lawsuit.
According to the filing, Sabando’s girlfriend, employed at another company within the same building, frequently showed up at the French Connection Factory during Pietras’ shifts, yelling at her and referring to her as a ‘whore’ in front of several coworkers and supervisors.
Pietras’ colleagues claimed that this was an element of a smear campaign aimed at constructing a narrative that would portray Sabando as the victim of Pietras’ alleged sexual misconduct.
According to the lawsuit, Sabando reportedly created several fraudulent social media profiles using her own images last fall, sending messages to herself and her boyfriend’s girlfriend in poorly translated Polish.
Just two days later, on October 15, Pietras was approached by her supervisor on the factory floor, who was riding a mini-scooter, and was terminated without any explanation, according to the complaint.
She attempted to clarify the situation involving Sabando — even presenting her supervisors with explicit images he often sent without consent — but they instructed her to depart and never return, not even to collect her final paycheck, as stated in the lawsuit.
According to her knowledge, Sabando remains employed at the factory.
Pietras has also stated that she has been in contact with detectives from the NYPD’s Queens Special Victims Unit and is in the process of gathering evidence for a criminal complaint.