Authorities investigating a series of sexual assaults say a man pretended to be a rideshare driver to pick up victims.
William Mancortes, 43, of Boston, is charged with two rapes and a sexual assault. The attacks date back to 2017. Investigators say they arrested Mancortes after matching his DNA to the sexual assault kits taken from the victims.
"These are all sexual assaults that took place in the area of downtown Boston, when it's alleged that the defendant was impersonating an Uber driver, picking up intoxicated women and assaulting them inside the motor vehicle," Assistant District Attorney Daniel Nucci of Suffolk County said in court.
An assault in May of 2017 began with a young woman leaving the Bell in Hand restaurant late at night.
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"By her own admission, [she] was very intoxicated," Nucci said. "Did not remember much, but was able to go inside a car she believed was an Uber, at which time the defendant got in the back seat."
Prosecutors say Mancortes raped that woman.
A similar scenario played out at least twice more with other women, authorities say.
"There have been multiple sexual assaults with similar MO's around the city of someone impersonating an Uber driver and preying on young women who appear to be under the influence of alcohol," Nucci said. "It's clear that Mr. Mancortes, through DNA matches, has done this on more than one occasion."
"These allegations are atrocious, and the suspect was banned from the Uber platform years ago," the rideshare company told NBC10 Boston in a statement. "We take reports of this nature very seriously and cooperated with law enforcement on their investigation."
Stephanie DeCandia is with the Boston Area Rape Crisis Center. She encourages everyone to do what they can to prevent attacks like this.
"To care about sexual violence," she asked of the public. "To do what they can within their role in a community to care for each other, and to intervene if it's possible to intervene."
Mancortes is being held without bail pending a dangerousness hearing later this week.
Victims of sexual assault are asked to contact the Boston Area Rape Crisis Center, which can be reached on its 24-hour hotline at 1-800-841-8371.
The Boston Police Department previously asked anyone with information about the case to call the CrimeStoppers Tip Line at 1-800-494-TIPS or text the word "TIP" to 27463.
