A Boyds man was ordered by a Montgomery County Circuit Court judge on Friday to serve 20 years in prison for raping three women in Montgomery County during a 12-year period, the State’s Attorney’s Office announced.
Philip Kantor, 49, pleaded guilty in October to raping three women between 2007 and 2019. A fourth victim also reported being raped by Kantor, but the charge was later dropped because a judge determined that there was “not enough evidence,” the State’s Attorney’s Office has said.
The first woman told authorities that Kantor raped her in May 2007 at his home in Garrett Park after the two had gone to a bar in Washington, D.C. the night before. He allegedly identified himself to her as “Felipe” while she was intoxicated and gave her his phone number. The victim told police she blacked out and woke up the next morning sick and in pain.
The victim of the 2007 rape was interviewed by the State’s Attorney’s Office in April 2019.
In May 2019, the second victim told authorities that Kantor raped her in his Chevy Chase apartment in June 2010, police said. The victim told police that she went to a bar with Kantor and her friend, who Kantor was dating at the time. Police said the victim told them Kantor raped her on the bed in his apartment before the friend intervened, pushed Kantor off the victim and helped her out of the apartment.
Police have said the third victim was having dinner at Clyde’s of Chevy Chase on Wisconsin Avenue in January 2019 when Kantor offered to buy drinks for her and musicians who were playing. The victim told authorities she remembered drinking liquor that night that Kantor gave her, and the next thing she remembered was Kantor raping her in his apartment. In the next two days, she went to a hospital due to her injuries, and later went to the Montgomery County Family Justice Center, where detectives interviewed her.
After the victim who was raped in January 2019 came forward, she told police she recognized Kantor as the man who raped her when she was shown a photo of him from Maryland’s registered sex offender database, according to the State’s Attorney’s Office.
A fourth woman also came forward following Kantor’s arrest in January 2019, but a judge later determined that there was “not enough evidence” and a judge dismissed the charge, according to the State’s Attorney’s Office. Authorities have not given additional details about the fourth victim’s allegations.
After Kantor’s arrest on Jan. 30, 2019, and subsequent media coverage, the other two victims came forward to authorities, according to the State’s Attorney’s Office.
Kantor pleaded guilty to two counts of second-degree rape and one count of third-degree sex offense on Oct. 12. On Friday, Circuit Court Judge James Bonifant sentenced Kantor to 50 years in prison, with all but 20 years suspended, according to the State’s Attorney’s Office. Additionally, Kantor must remain on the sex offender list for life.
Dan Schere can be reached at daniel.schere@moco360.media
