A man who sexually assaulted at least four women while posing as a Lyft driver outside of nightclubs and bars, who was convicted back in April, was sentenced Monday to a term of six life sentences, or 150 years to life, in state prison.
Back in the early years of the rideshare wars, when Uber and Lyft were vying for market share, drivers were barely facing background checks, and when riders could be less cautious about the cars they got into, Orlando Vilchez Lazo began posing a rideshare driver and preying on women standing outside of clubs and bars with cellphones, waiting for legitimate rides that they'd ordered. At the time, he actually was a working Lyft driver, but he would commit these crimes while off duty, picking up rides he then couldn't be linked to.
Vilchez Lazo, now 44, was convicted in April of 12 felony counts of kidnapping and violent sexual assault involving four women between 2013 and 2018. He was dubbed, after his June 2018 arrest, "The Rideshare Rapist."
"Justice has been served for these courageous victims," said District Attorney Brooke Jenkins in a statement Monday. "This sentence reflects the gravity and heinousness of Mr. Vilchez Lazo’s crimes and holds him accountable for the pain he has caused. It also ensures that his reign of terror on our community permanently ends. Although nothing can undo his crimes and the trauma he put these women through, I hope this sentence brings them some comfort as they work to heal from this."
The first known assault committed by Vilchez Lazo occurred in November 2013, when, according to testimony at trial, he picked up the 21-year-old woman known as Survivor No. 1 outside of a Mission District bar, in his car that was affixed with a Lyft sticker — or one of those old glowing pink mustaches. He then drove her to a remote, industrial area, locked the car doors, and raped her.
The case was unsolved until 2018, when police connected Vilchez Lazo to three other incidents that occurred that year, both through testimony from the survivors and through DNA evidence. Those incidents occurred in February, May, and June of 2018, and all had a similar modus operandi, with the woman being kidnapped and taken to remote locations before being assaulted.
"These women were remarkable in calling upon a level of bravery that no person should ever have to experience," said Assistant District Michelle Brass, who prosecuted the case, in a statement. "They showed grace, courage, and strength during this excruciatingly long process. I hope these verdicts and this sentence provide them with some sense of closure and peace."
Vilchez Lazo has remained in jail since his 2018 arrest.
Previously: ‘Rideshare Rapist’ Charges To Proceed, Despite Allegations of Improperly Collected DNA
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