Denver man sentenced to 290 years for posing as ride-share driver, kidnapping and assaulting a dozen women

DENVER, Colo. (KRDO) – On Friday, a Denver judge sentenced a former ride-share driver to 290 years to life after prosecutors said he kidnapped and sexually assaulted a dozen women by posing as the driver they'd requested.

In October 2024, John Pastor-Mendoza was convicted of 30 charges related to the kidnapping, sexual assault and attempted sexual assault of 12 different women.

According to the Denver DA's office, the cases took place over a four-year period, between 2018 and 2022. Prosecutors said Pastor-Mendoza would falsely claim to be the driver for women using a ride-sharing app to request a ride, abducting them from downtown bars and clubs.

He would then either sexually assault the women in his vehicle or drive them to another location and assault them there, the DA's office said.

After a weekslong trial, Pastor-Mendoza was found guilty on 30 charges, including kidnapping 12 women, sexually assaulting two of them and attempting to sexually assault seven others, as well as one count of robbery.

“Pastor-Mendoza victimized 12 women in a calculated, cruel and contemptible series of crimes over four years,” Denver District Attorney John Walsh said in a statement, also calling the sentence "entirely appropriate."

"We should all be grateful for the courage of Pastor-Mendoza’s victims, who came forward and testified at trial to ensure that Pastor-Mendoza will no longer have the opportunity to harm our community," he added.