HARAHAN, La.-- A landlord who has been arrested on first-degree rape charges for allegedly forcing the teen daughter of a tenant to have sex with him in order to prevent eviction is now facing more charges as a teen from another family has come forward.
Landlord Kenneth Bryant, 46, not only threatened to throw the family of a 16-year-old girl out of their apartment if she didn't perform sex acts on him, but the girl’s parents say Bryant followed through with that threat after she reported the crime to police.
“He threatened her with her job. Threatened to have her fired from her job. Threatened to have us evicted. Threatened to have my sons evicted if she didn't do these acts,” the girl’s father, who asked to remain anonymous, said.
The father says his daughter was coerced and even forced to perform the sex acts.
Bryant was first arrested by Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s deputies in early December, with another arrest by Kenner Police last week for carnal knowledge of a juvenile and molestation of a juvenile. They re-booked Bryant on a charge of first-degree rape after the victim told a child advocate Bryant forced her to lay down and perform oral sex on him, and that she was able to shove him off before he forced himself on her further.
Police records show the girl says the sex acts happened in three different places, at Bryant's Harahan house, in his Kenner office and in his vehicle outside her Metairie place of employment, with Bryant consistently threatening her if she refused.
A Kenner detective reported he found text messages of an argument between the two about the girl not wanting to have vaginal sex with Bryant.
“We told him she was at the hospital reporting it. He was trying to get me to stop her,” the father continued, “He told us we had to leave. We were evicted. He fired my son immediately.”
Back in late August and early September, the man’s son was working for Bryant's land surveying company.
But the victim herself was also supposed to be working for Bryant when he was president of BFM Corporation, a larger land survey management company with a long client list that includes Orleans and Jefferson parishes.
The girl told police one of the attacks, which led police to charge Bryant with first-degree rape, happened in the bathroom at BFM's Kenner headquarters.
Since Bryant's first arrest, BFM owner Ralph P. Fontcuberta says he fired Bryant and that, "I am sorry I ever met him. I am disgusted with this."
“I'm afraid with the money and the backing of the politicians, he's always having dinners and lunches with them. I'm afraid that someone is gonna help him get easier charges, a slap on the wrist,” the father said, explaining why he wanted to speak out about the situation.
He considered Bryant a close friend to his family, describing frequent nights spent talking on Bryant’s porch. Bryant’s house is across the street from the apartment complex he owns. That’s where the girl and her family used to live.
Harahan Police booked Bryant on an additional simple battery charge Monday after another 17-year-old girl came forward after news of Bryant’s arrest broke.
The girl’s father says he wanted to speak out about what happened in case other young women have been victimized, to encourage them to come forward and report it to Kenner or Harahan Police.