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A suspected serial perv who posed as a rideshare driver sexually assaulted at least one passenger — and targeted two other women in their Long Island homes, prosecutors said.
Raul Guaman, 43, a construction worker and illegal immigrant from Ecuador living in Bay Shore, pleaded not guilty to a slew of charges at his arraignment Tuesday, the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office said.
“In my almost 37-year career, this is one of the most shocking cases I have ever seen, both due to the conduct of the defendant and also the potential scope of the crime,” Suffolk County Police Acting Commissioner Stuart Cameron said during a press conference after the arraignment, Newsday reported. “This definitely appears as if it could be a serial sexual abuse case.”
Guaman allegedly entered a home in Suffolk County and sexually abused a woman who was sleeping inside, according to prosecutors. The victim woke up and called 911.
Guaman and his vehicle were captured on surveillance arriving at and leaving the home, the DA’s office said.
Investigators later found videos on Guaman’s cellphone that he surreptitiously took of the victim’s sister on four separate dates, prosecutors said.
Then on Nov. 18, cops nabbed Guaman for allegedly refusing to stop at a stop sign.
When investigators searched his phone, they found many videos — dating back to January 2019 — showing him engaging in sexual acts with unconscious female victims, prosecutors said.
Police were able to identify one victim — who was a passenger in Guaman’s car — and are continuing to investigate the identities of the others, according to the DA’s office.
A sweep of Guaman’s residence turned up 32 cellphones and 16 driver’s licenses belonging to women, officials said.
Evidence uncovered during the investigation suggested that Guaman had been posing as a rideshare driver and picking up his victims before sexually abusing them, according to prosecutors.
The two sisters he allegedly targeted in Suffolk County were never in his car, the DA’s office said.
Guaman was hit with multiple charges, including criminal sex act, unlawful surveillance and sexual abuse, according to prosecutors.
He was ordered held without bail and is due back in court on Jan. 6, 2022.
If convicted of the top count, Guaman could face up to 25 years behind bars.
His attorney, Luigi Belcastro of Central Islip, said in court that his client had been in the US for 23 years and has a young daughter, according to Newsday.
Investigators are looking to identify additional victims of Guaman, officials said.
“The Suffolk County Police Department’s Third Squad has been working tirelessly in collaboration with my Office to investigate this individual and hold him accountable,” Suffolk County DA Timothy Sini said in a statement. “For those folks who may have been victimized by this defendant, it is critically important that you come forward.”
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