Man Freed in Rape on Pool Table Sues
Virgilio Medeiros, a defendant who was acquitted in a March, 1984, trial of gang-raping a woman on a pool table at Big Dan’s Tavern, is suing the city of New Bedford and a policeman for alleged civil rights violations, his lawyer said Tuesday.
The suit charges “a continued pattern of police harassment” and contends that Detective Sgt. Ronald Cabral pressured witnesses before a grand jury to change statements they had earlier given to police, Francis O’Boy, Medeiros’ attorney, said.
Medeiros, 24, and Jose Medeiros (no relation) were acquitted and four other men were convicted in the 1983 incident.
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