Former Uber driver Alejandro Done, 47, has been sentenced to serve 10 to 12 years in prison after he pleaded guilty to assaulting a woman who authorities say he picked up in Boston in December 2014.
Done picked up the victim after she had hailed an Uber, according to the Middlesex District Attorney's office. He was not working for Uber at the time.
Although payment for rides are taken through the Uber smartphone app, Done told the woman that he had to be paid in cash and drove her to an ATM.
He then drove the woman to a secluded area where he parked, climbed into the backseat and attacked the woman.
He covered her mouth so that she could not scream, locked the car doors so that she could not escape, then strangled and sexually assaulted her, according to the DA’s office.
"The defendant preyed upon a young woman who trusted that he was who he portrayed himself to be," said District Attorney Marian Ryan. “I encourage the public to take precautions when using any ride-sharing service."
"Customers should make sure to verify license plates and car make and models before entering any vehicle,” Ryan added.
Uber's records were used to determine who the attacker was, an Uber spokesperson told BuzzFeed News. Done had passed all of the company’s background checks before becoming a driver, spokeperson Taylor Bennett said.
DNA evidence obtained during the case linked Done to five unsolved sexual assaults, which took place on the Charles River Esplanade and in South Boston.
Done is also set to face charges in those attacks, which occurred between 2006 and 2010.