A 16-year-old girl from Long Island was allegedly raped, filmed, and terrorized in Brooklyn after an Uber driver picked her up without checking her ID, delivering her straight into the hands of a 26-year-old repeat offender who had just completed a lenient “alternative to incarceration” program designed for criminals under 27.
The horrifying March attack took place in Bushwick after the victim had been communicating with rapist Ralfy Figueroa on Snapchat since at least January.
Figueroa allegedly paid her $35 for a nude photo, to which she sent a fake image from the internet, and later used threats to lure her into meeting him.
On the day of the assault, Figueroa sent chilling Snapchat messages, including, “You have to, I know your address. Confirm your address, if you don’t, I’m gonna hurt you and your family.”
The terrified teen got into an Uber from her Long Island home, which was sent by her attacker.
The driver never asked for identification, in clear violation of Uber’s own policies for unaccompanied minors under 18.
The New York Post reports:
Uber bars strangers from calling for rides for passengers under 18, and youngsters are not supposed to ride alone, unless they have a specific account intended for teenagers, according to the company.
“When picking up riders, if you feel they are underage, you may request they provide a driver’s license or ID card for confirmation. If a rider is underage, please do not start the trip or allow them to ride,” according to the company’s web site.
But instead of ending the ride, the driver brought the victim to Bushwick and dropped her off without making sure she was safe or with a guardian, allegedly breaking another tenet of Uber’s policies regarding youngsters.
There, she met Figueroa, who allegedly forced her into his car and sexually assaulted her.
According to the criminal complaint, he demanded oral sex, offered her $1,000 if she complied, continued the assault until she vomited, filmed the entire act, and threatened to send people to her home while claiming he had guns.
Afterward, Figueroa called another Uber to send her home, but canceled it once she was inside the vehicle, leaving her stranded.
At the time of the attack, Figueroa had just completed a program called Cases ROAR (Reframing Opportunities, Alternatives and Resilience), a court-mandated alternative to incarceration run by the Center for Alternative Sentencing and Employment Services (CASES) for 16 to 27-year-olds facing misdemeanor or felony charges.
Figueroa was placed in the program as part of a plea deal after a July arrest for selling crack cocaine to an undercover officer in Bushwick, a crime that was not bail-eligible.
Figueroa was arrested shortly after the March assault and charged with first-degree rape. He pleaded not guilty and is being held at Rikers Island on $100,000 bail.
The Office of the Special Narcotics Prosecutor has already requested a hearing to revoke his plea deal in the earlier drug case, which could send him to prison for up to nine years.
“We have requested a hearing to determine whether defendant Ralfy Figueroa has violated the terms of his plea to felony and misdemeanor narcotics charges and should immediately be sentenced on those charges,” spokesperson Kati Cornell told the Post.
The victim’s family has filed a lawsuit against Uber, claiming the driver’s failure to follow basic safety protocols directly enabled the assault.
The lawsuit states the girl “did not understand the danger of the situation” and that the company’s lax enforcement left her vulnerable.
“My daughter has told me that, if the videos of the assault were to be made public, she would kill herself,” the mom said in the lawsuit against Uber, according to the New York Post report.
The teen is now receiving mental health treatment at an out-of-state facility.
“The details of this case are incredibly distressing,” an Uber spokesman said in a statement to the Post. “While we cannot comment on ongoing litigation, our dedication to keeping safety at the forefront of everything we do remains unwavering.”
The post Teen Girl Raped in NYC After Uber Driver Skipped ID Check, Attacker Had Just Completed Soft on Crime ‘Alternative-to-Prison’ Program for Criminals Under 27-Years-Old appeared first on The Gateway Pundit.