The Buffalo News
The victim woke up in her car parked in Buffalo, not knowing how she had gotten there.
But she remembered all too clearly the horrific abuse she had just survived, allegedly at the hands of a Lewiston man now charged with a long list of felonies, from first-degree kidnapping to aggravated sexual abuse and obstruction of airway, according to police.
Iver J. Phallen, 67, a retired businessman, used ropes, handcuffs “and other devices” to bind, choke, beat and abuse the 24-year-old Niagara County woman over a period of about 20 hours, police said.
And he told the victim he had brutalized other women in the same way.
Tuesday, Lewiston police urged anyone who knows Phallen or who may have been victimized by him to contact the authorities immediately.
“We believe there may be more, yes,” said Lewiston Police Sgt. Frank Previte.
“We’re requesting that if any individuals have had personal contact or dealings with Phallen, or have any information regarding this case, they contact the Lewiston police or state police,” Lewiston Police Chief Christopher Salada said.
At a news conference Tuesday afternoon at the Lewiston Police Department, investigators outlined what they believe happened at Phallen’s townhouse on Carriage Lane.
New York State Police Lt. Kevin Reyes, of the Bureau of Criminal Investigation, said it was not a chance encounter between Phallen and the young woman on Thursday.
“We believe it was a prearranged meeting and they were going to a known location,” Reyes said.
Police said the victim worked at the Colonie Lounge, a strip club and cigar bar on Hertel Avenue in North Buffalo, but authorities made a point of saying that her place of employment wasn’t relevant to the case.
The meeting between Phallen and the woman was initially consensual.
“And then it changed,” Previte said. “Phallen used ropes and other devices to asphyxiate her. It was against her wishes.”
The attacks occurred in a soundproof room at Phallen’s townhouse, and the room’s windows were covered with heavy blankets, authorities said.
“There was a vast collection of devices. It was methodical and all prepared in advance,” a member of law enforcement said, adding that there is no reason to doubt Phallen’s claims of encounters with other women.
“Over a 20-hour period, he subjected this victim to all kinds of physical and emotional abuse in dehumanizing her. It was torture, akin to being a POW,” the source said.
The victim told police that on different occasions throughout Thursday and into that night, Phallen choked her, rendering her unconscious.
“There was sadomasochism and BDSM (bondage, discipline and sadomasochism). There was physical injury against her, and all of it was conducted against her will,” Previte said.
Part of the “discipline” segment of BDSM, police explained, involves physical abuse and restraining the victim to render her helpless.
During the ordeal, Phallen bragged to the woman of past encounters during which he had physically mistreated other women, she told police. …