D.A. Bragg Announces Prison Sentence For Serial Subway Sex Abuse

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, Jr., today announced the sentencing of CECIL MCKENZIE, 54, to an aggregate of 7 years-to-life in prison for rubbing his groin against a female passenger on a subway train in January 2025 while banned from the MTA. On December 2, 2025, MCKENZIE was convicted by a New York State Supreme Court jury of Burglary in the Third Degree as a Sexually Motivated Felony and Persistent Sexual Abuse.

"Not only did Cecil McKenzie return to the subway after being banned for prior sexual abuse, he did so to commit the same crime," said District Attorney Bragg. "A jury found he has repeatedly harmed women on the subway, and he will now serve a significant prison sentence. I thank my office's prosecutors for ensuring accountability in this case."

As proven at trial, on January 17, 2025, MCKENZIE boarded an uptown 4-train at the Brooklyn Bridge-City Hall subway station. At approximately 9:43 a.m., before the train reached the 14^th Street-Union Square station, he rubbed himself against a woman. Plainclothes police officers arrested him when the train reached the stop.

At the time, MCKENZIE was banned from the subway based on prior conduct. He was previously convicted of Persistent Sexual Abuse in 2013 and 2017, which formed the basis for this Persistent Sexual Abuse conviction.

Assistant D.A. Cory Robinson and Assistant D.A. Claudia Khoury-Yacoub handled the prosecution of the case under the supervision of Maxine Rosenthal (Senior Counsel to the Special Victims Division), Assistant D.A.s Kaitlyn Flatley (Deputy Chief of the Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Bureau) and Vanessa Puzio (Chief of the Intimate Partner and Sexual Violence Bureau) and Executive Assistant D.A. Justin McNabney (Chief of the Special Victims Division) and Executive Assistant D.A. Shannon Lucey (Deputy Chief of the Special Victims Division). Paralegal Josephine Metcalf and Rachel Miller and the Survivor Services Bureau including Counselor Kara Wissing provided valuable assistance.

District Attorney Bragg thanked the NYPD, in particular Transit District 4 Officers Farhan Chowdhury and Krystelle Smiley, and Sergeant Juan Hernandez.

Defendant Information:

CECIL MCKENZIE

Convicted:

• Burglary in the Third Degree as a Sexually Motivated Felony, a class D felony, one count
• Persistent Sexual Abuse, a class E felony, one count

Sentenced:

• 3 ½-to-7 years in prison to run concurrent to 4 years-to-life in prison

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