‘Rideshare rapist’ who started attacking women in 2013 is sentenced to 150 years in prison

A San Francisco man dubbed the “rideshare rapist” has been sentenced to 150 years in prison for posing as a rideshare driver to pick up women and sexually assault them.

Orlando Vilchez Lazo, 44, was sentenced Monday to six life terms, according to the San Francisco County district attorney’s office. His convictions include two counts of kidnapping with intent to commit rape, four counts of kidnapping, four counts of rape by force or fear and two counts of sexual penetration with a foreign object.

Lazo allegedly began targeting women in 2013 when rideshare services, like Lyft and Uber, were still relatively new. He would approach women leaving bars and nightclubs, pose as a rideshare driver and get them into his vehicle before taking them to secluded locations, where he sexually assaulted them, according to prosecutors.

“Justice has been served for these courageous victims,” San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins said in a statement. “This sentence reflects the gravity and heinousness of Mr. Vilchez Lazo’s crimes and holds him accountable for the pain he has caused.”

His first known attack occurred in 2013, when Lazo picked up a 21-year-old college student who was leaving a bar in the Mission District. He drove her to an abandoned industrial area, locked the car door and raped her, prosecutors said.

The case remained unsolved for years until investigators collected a DNA sample from Lazo following another assault in 2018. That year, he reportedly raped a 22-year-old woman and assaulted two additional women between May and June. One of the women escaped in 2018, and Lazo was arrested in July of that year.

The investigation ultimately connected Lazo to the earlier 2013 assault, helping authorities identify a pattern that had stretched across several years.

Assistant District Attorney Michele Brass also praised the women who came forward during the investigation and prosecution.

“These women were remarkable in calling upon a level of bravery that no person should ever have to experience. 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,” Brass said.

Lazo worked as a Lyft driver before his arrest. Despite being an undocumented immigrant from Peru, he passed the company’s background check at the time, according to the Los Angeles Times.

Lyft said Lazo had “fraudulently represented himself” to drive for the platform, according to the Associated Press. The company deactivated his account shortly after his arrest in 2018, according to the LA Times.

Lazo will be deported back to Peru should he ever be released from prison, the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement said.

The Independent has contacted Lyft for comment.