Imposter Driver Imprisoned For West Hollywood Sexual Assault

LOS ANGELES, CA —A Los Angeles man, who posed as a rideshare driver and sexually assaulted passengers in West Hollywood, Beverly Hills and West Los Angeles, was sentenced to 29 years to life in state prison Thursday.

Carlos Omar Pichinte, 42, used rideshare decals to trick women into getting into his vehicle, and then he drove them to another location, where they were attacked, according to Deputy District Attorney Karen Montoya.

The attacks occurred between October 2016 and May 2017, and he was arrested May 20, 2017, after his last attack by Beverly Hills police. He's been behind bars since then.

Pichinte pleaded no contest Sept. 17 to one count of forcible rape and two counts of assault with intent to commit a sexual assault, according to Montoya.

The case is one of multiple nationwide involving imposter rideshare drivers. Officials with Uber and Lyft remind passengers to always verify the car the and driver through the app before getting into a car. On Thursday, Uber launched a new feature on its app that allows passengers to text to 9-1-1, allowing authorities to track their whereabouts. In the case of an imposter driver, the 9-1-1 text would not give authorities the correct vehicle but it would allow police to track their location.

RELATED:

• Uber Launches Text To 9-1-1 Feature In Los Angeles
  
• Valley Lyft Driver Arrested For Allegedly Raping Passenger
• Another Woman Sues Uber For Sexual Assault In Los Angeles
• Raped By Uber Imposters, 3 LA Women Sue The Company
• Uber Driver Charged With Rape Has Criminal Record
• LA Uber Driver May Have Additional Rape Victims, Police Allege

City News Service contributed to this report.