A judge denied a request to end the probation early of a former student convicted of making false rape claims against two former Sacred Heart University football players.
Superior Court Judge Tracy Lee Dayton refused to reduce the probation by half, pointing out that Nikki Yovino agreed to a plea bargain when she pleaded guilty to the crime, the Connecticut Post reported.
In August 2018, Yovino took a plea bargain where she pleaded guilty to two misdemeanor counts of falsely reporting an incident, and one misdemeanor count of interfering with the police.
A judge sentenced her to three years, suspended after serving one year in prison followed by a three-year probation term.
Yovino had served a year and four months of her probation.
Yovino’s lawyer told the court that his client resided in Ridgefield with relatives during her probation but would like to go home to see her family in Long Island.
Yovino was not present in the courtroom.
Senior Assistant State’s Attorney Tatiana Messina was against any reduction in probation because she said Yovino did not show any proof that she underwent a mental health evaluation or treatment as required by her probation.
Yovino told the police in October 2016 that two men pulled her into the bathroom in the basement of a house where an off-campus Sacred Heart football club party was being held and took turns sexually assaulting her.
Police said both men had sex with Yovino, but both men said it was consensual.
Both former football players are suing Yovino, claiming that they had to leave the university because of her false allegations.
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