Man Called 'East Coast Rapist' Faces Charges in Maryland

The man convicted in a series of rapes of women and girls in Virginia, suspected "East Coast rapist" Aaron Thomas, is set to be arraigned in Prince George's County Friday morning in connection with similar crimes against six Maryland women between 1997 and 2001.  

Thomas 41, of New Haven, CT  was recently sentenced to two life terms in Prince William County, VA after being convicted of abducting three girls and raping two of them, reported Woodbridge Patch. He was given a third life sentence for raping a woman from Loudon County, VA, and stills stands accused of raping a woman from Alexandria. Police also report that Thomas raped women in Rhode Island and Connecticut. 

“Regardless of the sentences he has in other jurisdictions, that doesn’t hold him accountable and punish him for the alleged rapes he committed here,” John Erzen, spokesperson for the Prince George's County State's Attorney's Office told The Gazette earlier this year. 

Thomas was indicted on six counts of first degree rape in March 2012 for crimes he allegedly committed in Prince George's County, according to the state's attorney's office. 

"They want to see him held accountable for his crimes," Erzen said.

Officials suspect that Thomas is connected to at least 17 rapes, with DNA evidence tying him to the crimes in 12 of the cases. 

Thomas was arrested at his New Haven home in March 2012 based on a tip that came in through the Prince George's County Crime Solvers hotline. 

Previous reporting by Mary Stachyra Lopez was included in this article.