An Oakland County businessman accused in an alleged rape on a golf course more than 20 years ago has made a plea deal with prosecutors.
Kurt Rillema, 52, recently opted out of trial by pleading no contest to added charges of third-degree criminal sexual conduct and fourth-degree criminal sexual conduct. In exchange, prosecutors dropped charges of first-degree and second-degree CSC.
A no contest plea is not an admission of guilt but is treated as such for sentencing purposes. It can also provide some liability protection in civil cases.
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First-degree CSC is punishable by up to life in prison, while second-degree CSC and third-degree carry a penalty of up to 15 years in prison. Fourth-degree CSC is a misdemeanor.
Rilema was arrested in April 2023 after DNA evidence reportedly linked him to a 1999 rape of a 22-year-old woman at Oakland Township’s Twin Lakes Golf Club. The woman worked at a food stand on the golf course at the time
.The evidence also reportedly links him to another alleged sexual assault of a 19-year-old woman on the Penn State University golf course in 2000.
In 2021, genetic genealogy testing of DNA from both reported assaults pared down the suspect list to Rillema and his two brothers, and investigators used Rillema’s DNA from a disposable coffee cup he’d been drinking from while at an Oakland County car dealership to build their case.
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Rillema reportedly worked in construction/contracting prior to his arrest.
He’s scheduled to be sentenced on Jan. 15, 2025 by Oakland Count Circuit Judge Nanci Grant. For now, he’s in custody at the Oakland County Jail.
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