FIRST ON FOX – A 20-year-old woman’s life changed forever on a December night in 2021 when she celebrated her birthday in Tampa, Florida.
The Pasco County woman, who had just moved to the area from Wisconsin for college, got drunk while celebrating her upcoming 21st birthday and got separated from her friends at downtown Tangra Nightclub. A Good Samaritan saw her outside the club and ordered an Uber for her, hoping it would help the woman get home safely.
“The Good Samaritan later told police she did not think JANE DOE was able to arrange a ride for herself given her condition,” according to a lawsuit filed against Uber in March.
What the Good Samaritan didn’t know was that the 42-year-old driver, Anthony Oliveras-Rivera — who was employed by the ride-share app despite a long criminal history — would pick up the intoxicated woman and assault her in his vehicle for hours.
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Former Uber driver Anthony Oliveras-Rivera is accused of raping a woman in his car after picking her up from a Tampa nightclub in December 2021. (Andrea Lewis)
Oliveras-Rivera is accused of picking up the victim at 10 p.m., although he didn’t drop her off until 2 a.m. at the downtown Barrymore hotel, where she was staying with friends. The drive from the nightclub to the hotel usually takes less than 10 minutes. Records from Uber show that the suspect drove the victim to “Odessa, Florida, where he ‘terminated’ the ride on the UBER app and allegedly sexually assaulted the victim.
The woman, who was asleep or incapacitated during the attack, “remembers waking up momentarily to find the UBER driver in the backseat penetrating her vaginally and anally,” according to the complaint.
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The driver then dropped off the victim, described as a “little young lady who rarely drank alcohol,” passed out in the backseat of his car with her underwear pulled down to her knees, according to the lawsuit. She could barely walk, had difficulty speaking and had urinated on herself.
Oliveras-Rivera is accused of picking up the victim at 10 p.m., although he didn’t drop her off until 2 a.m. at the downtown Barrymore hotel, where she was staying with friends. The drive from the nightclub to the hotel usually takes less than 10 minutes. (Google Maps)
The Uber driver allegedly told hotel staff, “I need your help (.) I’ve got a girl passing out in my backseat,” and asked for paper towels.
After security helped transport the victim to a seat in the hotel, she told staff the Uber driver assaulted her and she was transported to a nearby hospital, where medical staff conducted a sexual assault investigation and found male DNA. Law enforcement officials submitted the DNA for testing, which was determined to be a match for Oliveras-Rivera.
In addition, Oliveras-Rivera apparently admitted to Tampa police that he had sexual intercourse with his passenger, according to the victim’s attorney, Andrea Lewis.
The suspect is facing three sexual battery charges and a judge set his bail at $45,000 last year.
Uber driver Anthony Oliveras-Rivera is facing three sexual battery charges, and a judge set his bail at $45,000 last year. (Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office)
Lewis told Fox News Digital that Oliveras-Rivera “may and probably” committed multiple crimes from Puerto Rico “for which he was sentenced to eight years in prison” in the late 1990s, before moving to New York, where he was convicted of narcotics possession, robbery and burglary in the early 2000s, court documents show.
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In a 2001 burglary case, Oliveras-Rivera and two other defendants were convicted of pushing two people into an apartment at gunpoint, tying them to the floor and demanding drugs from a safe.
His other past cases include not having a valid driver’s license, speeding, using stop signs, and driving carelessly. According to court records and the lawsuit, his driver’s license has been suspended several times.
Anthony Oliveras-Rivera “may and likely has” multiple felonies from Puerto Rico “for which he was sentenced to eight years in prison” in the late 1990s, before moving to New York, where he was convicted of narcotics possession, robbery and burglary in the early 2000s, records show. (Matthew Horwood)
“My client was shocked — in shock — when he first learned that the man driving for Uber had been convicted of serious crimes, let alone the armed robbery and other drug crimes we had previously uncovered in New York,” Lewis said. “Those fears, and the trauma this case has already inflicted on her, have exponentially amplified after she learned that.”
“The idea that Uber or any company would knowingly hire a person with this background is terrifying,” she continued. “That’s something anyone using ride-sharing or sharing services, especially those with Uber, should be aware of.”
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It’s unclear how Oliveras-Rivera became an Uber driver, as the ride-sharing app disqualifies applicants with a criminal record, according to the website. Florida state law also prevents anyone convicted of a misdemeanor within the past five years from becoming a driver.
Uber told Fox News Digital it could not comment on pending lawsuits.
Uber told Fox News Digital it could not comment on pending lawsuits. (Smith Collection/Gado)
Uber partners with Checkr, a third-party background check provider, and other nationally recognized background check providers, including HireRight, Inc. and Samba Safety, according to the ride-share app.
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“Everyone who rides with Uber will be screened before their first ride,” Uber’s website says. “In addition, Uber re-runs these driver screenings every year and uses technology to identify issues in the interim. It’s part of our commitment to helping protect you when you request a ride with Uber.”
The lawsuit says that despite Uber’s commitment to screen its drivers, the company “made the decision to hire convicted felon, ANTHONY OLIVERAS-RIVERA, who had previously served time in prison for his involvement in armed robbery and, after being released from prison, continued to violate the law and engage in conduct that should have made it clear to UBER that he posed a risk to passengers,” like the victim in this case.
Oliveras-Rivera’s next trial date is set for August 29.
Audrey Conklin is a digital reporter for Fox News Digital and FOX Business. Email tips to audrey.conklin@fox.com or on Twitter at @audpants.
Florida Uber driver accused of raping passenger’s 21st birthday had long criminal past
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