Detroit A retired Detroit police sergeant accused of living a double life while on the force posed as a decorated police officer but was actually a serial rapist who threatened five women at gunpoint, Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy said Thursday.
Worthy said at a news conference that Benjamin Wagner’s alleged assaults occurred between 1999 and 2003. Worthy said the victims ranged in age from 15 to 23 years old.
The 2003 sexual assault charges came after a Wayne County jury in August 2002 found Wagner not guilty of five counts of first-degree sexual assault. Wagner’s stepdaughter accused him of sexually abusing her for years. Following the sentencing, Wagner’s suspension ended and he continued to serve as a police officer until his retirement in 2017.
Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy announced multiple charges of kidnapping and first- and third-degree criminal sexual conduct against retired Detroit police Sgt. Benjamin Wagner during a press conference in Detroit on March 19, 2026.
Wagner retired and moved to Greenville, South Carolina, where he was arrested Tuesday and waived extradition, Worthy said. The defendant was charged with multiple counts of kidnapping and first- and third-degree criminal sexual conduct. The first-degree criminal sexual conduct and kidnapping charges carry a maximum penalty of life in prison.
“We allege that Wagner sexually assaulted his young victims while they were walking to school, home from get off work, or simply going to a friend’s house,” Worthy said. “These incidents mostly occurred in the early morning hours, all on Detroit’s northwest side. He used isolation and force. He was armed with a handgun in each case. He threatened their lives if they reported, and he did not use condoms during the attacks.”
Worthy provided the Detroit police sex crimes unit’s phone number at (313) 596-1950, asking anyone who believes they were assaulted by Wagner to call.
How law enforcement solves sexual assault cases
Worthy said DNA analysis solved the case. In 2010, Michigan State Police linked the DNA of an unidentified man to attacks in Detroit that occurred between 1999 and 2003.
“The male suspect was not known to the victim, and the suspect’s DNA was not included in the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS),” prosecutors said in a release. “In August 2023, the FBI Detroit Field Office received a report identifying investigative leads on potential suspects related to the five sexual assault kits.
Prosecutors said the FBI continues to investigate. In March, agents linked Wagner to the five attacks, Worthy said.
Worthy said Wagner lived on Bentler Street in Detroit at the time of the attack. Prosecutors said all of the attacks occurred within about five and a half miles of his home.
Former Detroit police Sgt. Benjamin Wagner has been charged with multiple counts of sexual assault, Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy said Thursday, March 19, 2026, at the Wayne County Criminal Justice Center in Detroit.
There is no attorney listed for Wagner on the Wayne County Circuit Court website. Worthy said he is scheduled to be arraigned in Detroit’s 36th District Court on March 26 and is expected to return to Michigan on March 24.
“The work our officers performed on this case is a true example of what I call the men and women of the Detroit Police Department who are truly committed to the work they do,” said Detroit Police Chief Todd Bettison. “Cold cases are often the most difficult cases to solve because they require years of persistence, careful review of evidence, and most importantly, an unwavering commitment to justice. The work this team does reflects that dedication.”
Wayne County prosecutor provides timeline of alleged attack
Worthy provided a timeline of Wagner’s alleged crimes:
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On November 10, 1999, the 17-year-old victim took a bus to a stop near a friend’s home after get off work. As the woman was walking in the 18500 block of Wyoming, “the defendant allegedly approached her, pointed a gun at her, ordered her to leave the scene and sexually assaulted her,” prosecutors said.
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On January 31, 2000, a 23-year-old woman left her home in Detroit to go to the store. As she walked in the 19800 block of Florence Street, Wagner allegedly put a gun to her head, ordered her to follow him and sexually assaulted her.
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On September 28, 2000, the 15-year-old victim was on his way to school. As she walked toward a bus stop in the 19800 block of Florence Street, Wagner allegedly “grabbed her arm and pointed a gun in her face,” prosecutors said. “He allegedly ordered her to leave the scene and sexually assaulted her.”
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On Nov. 19, 2000, Wagner allegedly attacked a 20-year-old woman from behind as she walked out of a friend’s home in the 8500 block of W. McNichols. Wagner allegedly pointed a gun at her back, forced her to a secluded location and sexually assaulted her.
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On April 15, 2003, as a 16-year-old girl was walking to school at the bus stop, Wagner allegedly emerged from an alley, pointed a gun at the victim, and forced her to walk with him to another location, where he sexually assaulted her.
While Worthy said a handgun was used in all the attacks, she said the six-year statute of limitations had expired and prosecutors could not charge Wagner with a felony.
The Wayne County Sexual Assault Kit Task Force was formed in 2009 after more than 11,000 untested sexual assault kits were discovered in a Detroit Police Department storage facility. The kits were collected between 1984 and 2009 and were never submitted for DNA testing.
The investigation was led by Task Force Detective Patrick Moog, with assistance from the Greenville Police Department, the FBI’s Detroit Field Office and the FBI’s Charlotte Field Office, Worthy said.
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This article originally appeared in The Detroit News: Worthy accuses retired Detroit police officer of leading a double life as serial rapist
