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Chicago - A driver in Chicago was charged with sexually assaulting an Uber passenger who passed out in his vehicle as similar cases tied to car-sharing services have triggered law enforcement calls for greater customer vigilance.
Maxime Fohounhedo, 20, took the victim to his home and assaulted her on his sofa, said Steve Campbell, a spokesman for the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office in Chicago.
“The defendant helped the victim out of the apartment after the incident and drove her home,” Campbell said.
“She contacted the police and hospital.”
Problems for San Francisco-based Uber have been snowballing in recent weeks, with regulatory roadblocks and claims of sexual assault and dangerous driving. Uber last month said it was assessing its safety programs.
Jennifer Mullin, an Uber spokeswoman, said the defendant doesn’t have an account with the company and that he was fraudulently using his wife’s account at the time of the alleged attack.
“Account sharing is expressly prohibited on the Uber platform,” Mullin said in a statement. “All details regarding this fraud and Mr. Fohounhedo’s illegal activities have been shared with the Chicago Police Department and Uber will continue cooperating with the authorities.”
A lawyer for Fohounhedo couldn’t be immediately reached for comment.
New Delhi, Boston
This month, a driver in New Delhi was accused of raping a woman who fell asleep in his car, and a Boston man who was an Uber driver allegedly assaulted a woman after asking her to pay in cash.
Uber has been sued by officials in Los Angeles, San Francisco and Portland, Oregon, over claims it makes false assurances about driver background checks or violates other local laws.
A judge in Spain banned the company from operating there, and Rio de Janeiro declared the App-based service illegal. The Netherlands halted ride-sharing service UberPop.
Uber is the most highly valued US technology startup. It raised $1.2bn this month at a valuation of $40bn. On December 17, Chinese Web company Baidu said it had invested in Uber, which is led by CEO Travis Kalanick. Fohounhedo, who lives in Chicago, asked the victim to move to front seat of the black, four-door vehicle he was driving because he wasn’t sure of her address, Campbell said.
The woman, who was intoxicated, passed out and later woke up to find him on top of her in his living room, Campbell said.
Court appearance
Fohounhedo is being held on a $500 000 bond and is scheduled to appear in court again on January 22, Campbell said.The Boston case was one of at least three alleged sexual assaults in the area over the past month involving ride-sharing drivers, according to police. Victims told investigators that two of them worked for Uber, Boston police said.
The rape allegation in India threatens to hurt Uber’s business there just months after the company got into trouble with the nation’s central bank over its payment gateway. The Reserve Bank of India closed a loophole that let the company provide a simpler payment system compared with local rivals.
