Man who posed as rideshare driver convicted of sexually assaulting, kidnapping women

DENVER — The Denver District Attorney’s Office announced on Thursday afternoon that a man who posed as a rideshare driver to sexually assault and kidnap women has been convicted of 30 charges.

John Pastor-Mendoza, 43, was was convicted of kidnapping 12 women, sexually assaulting two of them and attempting to sexually assault seven others. The crimes happened between during a four year period from Sept. 16, 2018, to July 9, 2022, according to the arrest affidavit.

Pastor-Mendoza falsely responded as the driver when the women used a ridesharing app to request a ride. He would either sexually assault the victims in his car or take them to a different location and assault the victim there, according to the district attorney’s office.

In addition to raping the victims, police say he would steal the victims’ cellphones.

In 2022, the district attorney said Pastor-Mendoza was linked to the cases through DNA from three of the victims, and investigators received crucial help from Tracks, a gay bar and nightclub in RiNo.

When investigators noticed similarities in some of the cases, they contacted Tracks asking for help, according to the arrest warrant.

Police gave Tracks a description of the suspect, and the bar said they believed they had a regular patron who matched that description. 

On Aug. 19, 2022, an employee at Tracks sent photos from the night before to investigators of the man they thought was who the police were looking for. The photos were of Pastor-Mendoza.

The Tracks employee also sent photos of his driver’s license and his vehicle, which included the license plate.

Investigators put the photo of Pastor-Mendoza in an array of photos to show one of the victims, and the victim identified Pastor-Mendoza as her attacker.

Later that same day, police arrested Pastor-Mendoza.

Lyft and Uber were both mentioned as phone apps Pastor-Mendoza allegedly used, according to the arrest affidavit. In 2022, a representative with Uber said the suspect has never used their platform to drive. 

Pastor-Mendoza’s sentencing is scheduled for March 7.

This article includes reporting from Jaleesa Irizarry and Troy Pope.