A 2008 cold case involving an East Village woman sexually assaulted in her apartment resulted in the conviction of a man already behind bars for a similar attack, the Manhattan District Attorney announced today.

George Poirier, 39, was sentenced to 25 years in prison for sexually motivated burglary and sexual abuse in the first degree. In April of 2008 the 28-year-old victim was entering her apartment on East Seventh Street near Avenue B when the Bronx resident pushed her inside, locked the door, and sexually assaulted her. During the attack the victim bit Mr. Poirier’s arm, drawing blood that was subsequently entered into a state DNA database. At the time, the DNA did not yield any matches, and the case went dormant.

But one year later Mr. Poirier’s DNA was entered into the database as part of his conviction for a charge of sexual abuse tied to a string of groping attacks on four different women on a single day in May, according to a criminal complaint. He was then tied to the 2008 attack.

“This sentence serves as a reminder of the importance of the DNA databank in bringing closure to victims of unsolved crimes,” said Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance. “I would like to commend the victim for her bravery in coming forward and speaking out against her attacker.”

Just this week, a new law took effect that requires most people convicted of a crime in New York to submit a DNA sample to the state database.

Mr. Poirier also faces 20 years of supervision upon completion of his prison sentence.