USC student charged in campus dorm room rape, prosecutors say

A USC student has been charged in the rape of a fellow student “by use of drugs,” according to the Los Angeles County district attorney’s office.

In addition to the charge of rape by use of drugs, Armann Karim Premjee, 20, faces a count of sexual penetration by a foreign object, the district attorney’s office said in a statement. Los Angeles police have spelled Premjee’s first name as Aarman, but a USC student directory spells it Armaan.

Premjee pleaded not guilty at his arraignment Tuesday. The judge declined prosecutors’ request for $1-million bail, and Premjee was released from custody on $100,000 bond.

Prosecutors allege that Premjee sexually assaulted the 19-year-old student in her dorm room just after 1 a.m. on April 1.

“The victim’s roommate walked in when the alleged crime occurred,” the district attorney’s office said. “Premjee went into a bathroom and when he returned, the roommate confronted him and he left.”

LAPD Capt. Billy Hayes said the alleged assault “was reported immediately” to USC’s Department of Public Safety early in the morning of April 1. Both students were undergraduates, he said.

Two weeks later, Premjee was arrested by officers with the LAPD’s Robbery-Homicide Division. He was released after posting a $100,000 bond, according to jail records.

If Premjee is convicted as charged, he faces up to 10 years in state prison.

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UPDATES:

May 3, 9 p.m.: This article was updated to include Premjee’s not-guilty plea and bail amount.

This article was originally published at 12 p.m. May 2.