Man who Posed as Ride Share Driver Charged in Seven Different Rape Cases
Alleged serial rapist preyed on women leaving bars and was previously indicted on separate rape, kidnapping case
BOSTON, July 23, 2020 — A Rhode Island man, charged in January with kidnapping and raping an intoxicated woman after she left a Boston bar, was charged this week with chillingly similar crimes against seven other women between 2017 and 2019.
ALVIN CAMPBELL, 39, who is being held on $250,000 bail in connection with a January arraignment on rape and kidnapping charges, now faces criminal complaints in three Boston Municipal courts – Central, Roxbury and South Boston – for multiple charges of rape, kidnapping and recording a nude person without consent. No arraignment dates have been set for the new charges.
“The attacks on these women are the acts of a predator. Women are entitled to go out and enjoy themselves without the fear of being preyed upon, kidnapped or raped,’’ said District Attorney Rachael Rollins. “With one exception, these women did not know each other. They shared in common only that each were out enjoying nightlife in Boston when Campbell found and violated them. Now, they are linked by those horrific assaults. But these eight women are also linked due to the incredible bravery and courage they each displayed coming forward to hold their rapist accountable.”
The details of each account vary, but in all cases Campbell allegedly targeted the women at or near bars or other locations where intoxication had made them incapable of consenting or resisting. And in each case, the women believed they were with a ride share driver they had summoned.
Campbell last worked for Uber in 2016, but when his vehicle was seized in the first case, it was festooned with Uber stickers and logos. Most of the assaults took place in Campbell’s vehicle, and he also took video of five of the unconscious victims, according to prosecutors and sexual assault unit detectives who obtained a warrant to search his cellphone.
With no grand jury available to hear the extensive additional evidence during the COVID-19 pandemic, detectives from the Boston Police Sexual Assault Unit obtained the new complaints Thursday in order to lodge arrest warrants in the system until Campbell can be brought to face them in court. Further information about the allegations will become public at that time.
“The BPD sexual assault unit did extraordinary work in these extraordinary times to hold an individual accountable for horrendous and predatory behavior,’’ said DA Rollins. “As I have said before, the current crisis may have changed our modes of interaction, but it has not changed our mission. As we continue to navigate this crisis, I and my Office will always uphold our commitment to serve survivors of sexual assault with support, referrals for needed services, and vigorous prosecutions to hold perpetrators accountable. We are here for you. We will continue to fight for you, and we will be standing right beside you.”
The Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office obtained a nine to 10 year sentence for Imer Soto, a Dorchester man earlier in this year for kidnapping and raping a woman, who had ordered a ride share. He pulled the woman into the ride share car in which he was riding and raped her.
In January 2019, an intoxicated woman left Hennessey’s near City Hall and encountered Victor Pena, who is now charged with holding her captive in Charlestown apartment and raping her.
Other cases have involved sexual assaults by actual rideshare employees. Three Uber drivers – Ranjan Thapa, Michael Squadrito and Daudah Mayanja – all separately await trial on charges that they raped female customers in Boston while driving them home from bars in 2018 and 2019. Prosecutors said the assaults occurred in the Symphony area, in Dorchester, and along Storrow Drive.
In addition, Louis D. Coleman III is facing federal charges of kidnapping resulting in the death of Jassy Correia, who left the Venu nightclub in the Theater District after closing time on February 24, 2019. Coleman allegedly convinced Correia to get into his car. Her body was found in the trunk of the vehicle four days later in Delaware.
“I have only been DA for nearly 19 months. This long list of women – each targeted, assaulted, kidnapped, raped and/or murdered – is heartbreaking. Sexual violence is a form of hate crime and gender should be a protected category. It isn’t. Violence against women is not a woman’s issue, it is a civil rights issue. Men, we are calling on you to step up and intervene when you see questionable and criminal behavior. Speak to your sons. Real men don’t rape.”
Campbell was arrested in January on charges that he raped a Boston woman after she got into his black Chevrolet Suburban outside the Harp bar thinking it was her Uber ride. She said she remembered nothing from the time she entered the vehicle until she woke up at Campbell’s home in Cumberland, R.I. He has since been indicted in that case and held on $250,000 bail. Campbell was in the process of trying to have his bail reduced when the new charges were issued.
ADAs Elizabeth Riley-Cunniffe and Lynn Feigenbaum represent the Commonwealth with the help of VWAs Anne Kelley-McCarthy and Kate Lagana. Campbell is represented by Attorney James Coviello.
Sexual assault can happen to anyone. While the victims of any crime are asked to call 911 in an emergency, survivors of sexual violence can also call their local rape crisis center for free and confidential services and to discuss their options. Support is available for all survivors of sexual violence, regardless of whether they wish to take part in a criminal prosecution. Services by city and town can be found at www.janedoe.org/find_help/search.
In Suffolk County, the Boston Area Rape Crisis Center offers a free and confidential 24-hour hotline at 800-841-8371. The Boston Area Rape Crisis Center provides medical accompaniment and many other free services to victims of rape and sexual assault. Suffolk victim-witness advocates can assist in referrals to BARCC and a wide array of non-profit service providers who can offer additional support and services.
Charged individuals are presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty in a court of law.
Suffolk County District Attorney Rachael Rollins’ office serves the communities of Boston, Chelsea, Revere, and Winthrop, Mass. The office handles over 25,000 cases a year. More than 160 attorneys in the office practice in nine district and municipal courts, Suffolk Superior Court, the Massachusetts Appeals Court, the Supreme Judicial Court, and the Boston Juvenile Courts. The office employs some 300 people and offers a wide range of services and programs to serve anyone who comes in contact with the criminal justice system. This office is committed to educating the public about the services we provide, our commitment to crime prevention, and our dedication to keeping the residents of Suffolk County safe.