Asylum seeker sentenced for sexually abusing victim at Cheektowaga hotel

Content warning: This story contains details of sexual abuse.

BUFFALO, N.Y. (WIVB) -- An asylum seeker from the Democratic Republic of the Congo was sentenced to 2 1/2 years of incarceration followed by three years of post-release supervision after he sexually abused a victim in August 2023 at a Cheektowaga hotel, the Erie County District Attorney’s Office announced.

Officials said around 4 p.m. on Aug. 11, Kindu Jeancy, 24, subjected the victim to sexual contact by forcible compulsion inside of a hotel room at the Best Western on Dingens Street.

Police said at the time that the victim was an employee of Platinum Community Care, one of the organizations that assisted asylum seekers at the Best Western.

Jeancy, who was living in the hotel, pushed the victim onto a couch and then held her arms down while forcing himself on top of her. He then prevented her from leaving the room.

In May, Jeancy was found guilty by a jury of one count of first-degree sexual abuse and one count of second-degree unlawful imprisonment.

A final order of protection was issued on behalf of the victim and remains in effect until August 2036.