Police: Woman fears losing potential lover, lies about rape

BRIDGEPORT, Conn. – A New York woman is facing charges after police say she lied about being raped by two football players from a Connecticut university due to fears a third student would lose romantic interest in her.

Nikki Yovino, of South Setauket (seh-TAW’-kiht), New York, has been charged with falsely reporting an incident and tampering with or fabricating physical evidence.

The 18-year-old Yovino said two Sacred Heart University football players sexually assaulted her in a bathroom in October during an off-campus party.

The men said it was consensual.

Capt. Brian Fitzgerald tells WABC-TV another student informed authorities of explicit text messages between the three. He says one man also recorded some of the incident on his cellphone.

Yovino’s lawyer, Mark Sherman, tells The Connecticut Post his client stands by her original story.