Man to stand trial in 20 sex crimes

Wednesday, June 19, 2002 | 10:27 a.m.

A Las Vegas judge found Tuesday there is enough evidence to try a Las Vegas man described by prosecutors as a serial rapist on more than 20 sex-related crimes.

Among the evidence Justice of the Peace Ann Zimmerman saw Tuesday was a videotape of an alleged sexual assault during which Steven Newberg could be heard saying it was "the second time I've raped her."

Police allege Newberg raped several women in Las Vegas and California. Five of the alleged victims have been identified -- two Las Vegas prostitutes, a 14-year-old distant relative of Newberg's and two California women who have not yet been found by police.

Tuesday was the last day of a three-day hearing to determine if prosecutors had enough evidence to move forward on the case.

Zimmerman heard the testimony of one of the prostitutes Tuesday and saw two videotapes purportedly showing two separate sexual assaults of the woman, who is hearing impaired and mute.

The 28-year-old woman, a crack addict since she was 11, testified through several sign-language interpreters that she had sex with Newberg on three separate occasions -- the first two consensual, the third a rape at knife-point.

On the videotape showing the third incident, she can be heard crying as Newberg says, "She's so (expletive) stupid, (expletive) handicapped (expletive). This is the second time I've raped her."

Newberg also can be heard saying "I'm anally abusing you, yes I am, I'm (expletive) abusing you."

The woman began crying after identifying herself on the two 10-12 minute videotapes.

The woman said she could not remember everything that happened during the second incident. She said she did remember, however, that he had pulled a gun on her after one sex act, refused to pay her and stole some of her jewelry.

Prosecutors say the video of the second incident shows the bound woman being raped multiple times, just as she was in the third incident.

The judge said she was dismissing all four of the charges pertaining to the second incident despite what the video showed, because the woman said the sex was consensual.

Deputy Public Defender Steve Immerman says all three of the Las Vegas victims had consensual sex with Newberg. He has questioned the credibility of all of the alleged victims.

"You have prostitutes and drug addicts who don't report this information until the police come to them," Immerman said during a break in the hearing.

Immerman also suggested that the hearing impaired prostitute was acting out her sexual fantasies on the videotape and only told police she was raped after they came to her.

In the two other hearings, Zimmerman heard testimony from the now 15-year-old relative and the other prostitute. She also viewed videotapes involving these women that the police had seized from Newberg's home.

Newberg will be arraigned July 1.