Ex-Brooklyn court officer takes plea deal in attempted sexual coercion

DOWNTOWN BROOKLYN, New York City (WABC) -- A court officer accused of attempting to coerce a young woman to perform a sex act in a stairwell pleaded guilty as part of a deal Wednesday, and his victim spoke out about the ordeal.

The young woman, Erica McRae, was led to believe that the uniformed officer could help her boyfriend, who was in jail.

"Really, I had no choice," she said. "I had no options, no choice. I had to, what he said."

It wasn't just what Sergeant Timothy Nolan said to the 27-year-old McRae, it's what happened next that had him taking a plea deal to public lewdness in a Brooklyn courtroom.

"If I didn't have the evidence, would have just been my word against his," McRae said. "I can't say for sure, but he most likely would have won. This wouldn't have been anything."

The plea deal to a lesser charge comes after Nolan was hit with a four-count indictment for sex crimes, including misconduct and coercion. McRae, a mother, was at the Brooklyn Criminal Courthouse when investigators say Nolan was lewd and exposed himself in a sixth-floor stairwell on Saturday, October 21, in exchange for getting her boyfriend out of jail.

"Monday, I got to guts to just (say something), because I couldn't stop thinking about it," she said. "Couldn't believe it, and I was mad that it happened. I felt like it happened other people. I wasn't for sure if, but I'm like, if it did, I definitely want to put a stop to it."

McRae told a courthouse employee immediately and made an official report two days later. With the plea, Nolan avoided jail time but has lost his job and his pension.

"Whether it's a Hollywood suite in a hotel or a hallway in a Brooklyn courthouse, men cannot use power for sexual coercion," McRae's attorney, Sanford Rubenstein said.

McRae said "it seemed so natural" for Nolan, and she fears there are other victims. After the plea deal, she is moving forward with a civil suit.