An Atlantic City man accused of trying to rape a homeless woman has been sentenced to five years in prison.
Joseph Lewis, now 54, was accused of what a judge called "a brutal daylight attack" on the woman outside the McDonald's at the foot of the Atlantic City Expressway on April 7, 2020.
He was arrested after two workers with Volunteers of America came to the scene to meet the 61-year-old woman and instead found her being attacked, they previously told BreakingAC.
Surveillance footage showed Lewis punching the woman, pulling down her underwear and trying to force her into an alley, according to information previously released in court.
Lewis pleaded guilty to second-degree attempted sexual assault in December. He was sentenced to five years in prison with four years and three months of parole ineligibility.
He was recently transferred from the Atlantic County Justice Facility to South Woods State Prison. His current maximum release date is July 6, 2024, which include credit for the more than two years he has been incarcerated.
Lewis will also have to register as a sex offender and be subject to lifetime supervision upon his release.
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