Long Island Bus Driver Charged with Kidnapping and Raping Student Passenger
"This defendant allegedly preyed on a teenage student and sexually abused her both on his bus and at his apartment," said Nassau County's District Attorney
Nassau County District Attorney
A bus driver in Long Island, New York, has been indicted on charges of raping and kidnapping a teenage student at a local high school, according to the Nassau County District Attorney’s Office.
Giovanny Campos — a 50-year-old driver for the Cheese Bus Company — was accused of raping a Valley Stream student “multiple times,” Nassau County District Attorney Anne T. Donnelly said in a press release.
Campos had driven students from Central High School to North High School in Valley Stream on Long Island. Police believe the incident with the student happened between the months of January and July 2023 after she was allegedly picked up along the route.
Donnelly said that, according to their investigation, Campos — who had been known to the student as Giovanny Guzman — had allegedly raped her “in a parking lot while still on the bus.” According to the press release, he drove the teen — who was not identified because they are a minor — to his apartment in Jamaica, Queens, where he would allegedly “engage in sexual acts with her.”
“School bus drivers are trusted to transport and protect our children, but this defendant allegedly preyed on a teenage student and sexually abused her both on his bus and at his apartment in Queens,” Donnelly said in a statement.
Campos was arrested on Sept. 28 at his home in Queens by the Nassau County Police Department’s Special Victims Squad.
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Campos was indicted on charges of kidnapping in the second degree, rape in the third degree, two counts of criminal sex act in the third degree and reckless endangerment, according to the Nassau County District Attorney’s Office.
Per the release, Campos pleaded not guilty to the charges and his "bail was set at $150,000 cash, $300,000 bond, and $1.25 million partially secured bond." His next court hearing is scheduled for Dec. 12. If convicted, he faces a potential maximum sentence of 25 years in prison.
The law office of Menachem White, Esq., which is representing Campos, did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
Donnelly noted that her office is “committed to prosecuting predators who prey on vulnerable children,” and they are asking for any others who may “have been victimized” by Campos or know someone who has to call the Special Victims Bureau at (516) 571-1266.
If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, please contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or go to rainn.org.
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