FIRST ON FOX — A 20-year-old lady’s existence modified ceaselessly one December evening in 2021, when she used to be celebrating her birthday in Tampa, Florida.
The Pasco County lady, who had simply moved to the world from Wisconsin for varsity, become intoxicated whilst celebrating her upcoming twenty first birthday and were given separated from her pals at Tangra Nightclub downtown. A excellent Samaritan noticed her outdoor the membership and ordered an Uber for her, hoping it could lend a hand the girl get house safely.
“The Just right Samaritan later advised legislation enforcement that she didn’t suppose that JANE DOE used to be in a position to arranging a journey for herself given her situation,” a lawsuit filed in opposition to Uber in March states.
What the great Samaritan didn’t know used to be that the 42-year-old motive force, Anthony Oliveras-Rivera — who used to be hired via the ride-share app in spite of having a long felony historical past — would pick out up the intoxicated lady and allegedly assault her in his automobile for hours.
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Former Uber motive force Anthony Oliveras-Rivera is accused of raping a lady in his automotive after selecting her up from a nightclub in Tampa in December 2021. (Andrea Lewis)
Oliveras-Rivera is accused of selecting up the sufferer at 10 p.m., regardless that he didn’t drop her on the Barrymore resort downtown, the place she used to be staying with pals, till 2 a.m. The pressure from the nightclub to the resort is normally lower than 10 mins. Uber information display the suspect drove the sufferer to “Odessa, Florida, the place he ‘ended’ the go back and forth within the UBER app,” and allegedly sexually assaulted the sufferer.
The girl, who used to be asleep or incapacitated throughout the attack, “recollects waking up in brief to seek out the UBER motive force within the again seat along with her penetrating her vaginally and anally,” the grievance states.
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The driving force then dropped off the sufferer, described as a “petite younger woman who hardly ever drank alcohol,” handed out within the again seat of his automotive along with her undies pulled all the way down to her knees, consistent with the lawsuit. She may slightly stroll, had problem talking and had urinated on herself.
Oliveras-Rivera is accused of selecting up the sufferer at 10 p.m., regardless that he didn’t drop her on the Barrymore resort downtown, the place she used to be staying with pals, till 2 a.m. The pressure from the nightclub to the resort is normally lower than 10 mins. (Google Maps)
The Uber motive force allegedly advised resort group of workers, “I want your lend a hand[.] I’ve a lady handed out in my backseat,” and requested for paper towels.
After safety helped delivery the sufferer to a chair within the resort, she advised group of workers the Uber motive force had assaulted her, and he or she used to be transported to a close-by clinic, the place scientific group of workers performed a sexual attack exam and located male DNA. Regulation enforcement submitted the DNA for trying out, which used to be made up our minds to be a fit for Oliveras-Rivera.
Moreover, Oliveras-Rivera it appears admitted to Tampa police that he had sexual Sex along with his passenger, consistent with the sufferer’s legal professional, Andrea Lewis.
The suspect is going through 3 sexual battery fees, and a pass judgement on set his bond at $45,000 remaining 12 months.
Uber motive force Anthony Oliveras-Rivera is going through 3 sexual battery fees, and a pass judgement on set his bond at $45,000 remaining 12 months. (Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Place of work)
Lewis advised Fox Information Virtual that Oliveras-Rivera “might and most probably does have” a couple of criminal offenses out of Puerto Rico “for which he used to be sentenced to 8 years in jail” within the overdue Nineteen Nineties, previous to transferring to New York, the place he used to be convicted of narcotics ownership, theft and housebreaking fees within the early 2000s, court docket information display.
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In a 2001 housebreaking case, Oliveras-Rivera and two different suspects had been convicted of pushing two folks into an rental at gunpoint, tying them up at the ground and important medicine from a protected.
His different priors come with no longer having a legitimate motive force’s license, dashing, operating forestall indicators and careless riding. He has had his license suspended a number of instances, consistent with court docket information and the lawsuit.
Anthony Oliveras-Rivera “might and most probably does have” a couple of criminal offenses out of Puerto Rico “for which he used to be sentenced to 8 years in jail” within the overdue Nineteen Nineties, previous to transferring to New York, the place he used to be convicted of narcotics ownership, theft and housebreaking fees within the early 2000s, information display. (Matthew Horwood)
“My shopper used to be horrified — in surprise — when to begin with studying that the person who used to be riding for Uber have been convicted of any critical crimes, let on my own the armed theft and different drug crimes that we had up to now exposed out of New York,” Lewis mentioned. “The ones fears, and the trauma this situation has already inflicted upon her, were amplified exponentially after studying that.”
“The concept Uber or any corporate would knowingly rent a person with this background is horrifying,” she endured. “This is one thing any individual who makes use of ride-sharing or sharing products and services, specifically the ones with Uber, wish to bear in mind of.”
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It’s unclear how Oliveras-Rivera become an Uber motive force since the ride-share app disqualifies candidates with felony information, consistent with its web page. Florida state legislation additionally prevents any individual convicted of a criminal throughout the previous 5 years from turning into a motive force.
Uber advised Fox Information Virtual it would no longer touch upon pending litigation.
Uber advised Fox Information Virtual it would no longer touch upon pending litigation. (Smith Assortment/Gado)
Uber works with Checkr, a third-party background-check supplier, and different nationally identified background test suppliers, together with HireRight, Inc., and Samba Protection, consistent with the ride-share app.
“Everybody who drives with Uber is screened sooner than their first go back and forth,” Uber’s web page states. “As well as, Uber reruns those motive force screenings once a year and makes use of generation to search for problems in between. It’s a part of our dedication to lend a hand stay you protected while you request a journey with Uber.”
The lawsuit states that in spite of Uber’s dedication to screening its drivers, the corporate “made the verdict to rent convicted felon, ANTHONY OLIVERAS-RIVERA, who had up to now been to jail for his involvement in an armed theft and, after being launched from jail, he endured to violate the legislation and have interaction in habits which must have made it obtrusive to UBER that he posed a possibility to passengers,” such because the sufferer on this case.
Oliveras-Rivera’s subsequent trial date is ready for Aug. 29.
