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International student assaulted by Uber driver
Jordan Bowen reports.
TAMPA, Fla. - A Tampa man was arrested and charged with sexual battery for impersonating a Cash App employee in order to intimidate a woman and sexually assault her, according to the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office.
According to HCSO, Steeve Louis, 23, of Tampa, was arrested after detectives determined that he used an elaborate scheme to coerce an international student and sexually batter her.
"The suspect in this case is a man who took advantage of her inexperience and her vulnerability and what he did can only be described as pure evil," said Amanda Granit, a public information officer with HCSO.
Photo courtesy: Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office
On August 17, Louis met with the victim while working as an Uber driver; she was a passenger in his vehicle. He provided his phone number to the woman, who was in the United States on a student visa attending a local university, according to the sheriff's office.
He also installed his Cash App on her phone. A couple of days later, the woman began receiving messages on her cell phone from someone claiming to be a Cash App employee enforcing federal law, according to HCSO.
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The "employee" told the woman she had to prove she was in a relationship with Louis to have his Cash App account installed on her phone; if she did not verify this, she would lose her student visa.
According to HCSO, the woman was fearful and coerced and arranged with Louis to stage some photos for the app. After sending those photos to the "employee," he responded that they weren't intimate enough.
The victim then undressed and was going to pretend to be intimate with Louis, HCSO reported. However, Louis sexually assaulted her.
The sheriff's office said the victim then immediately reported what happened to law enforcement.
"She came forward and really so much credit to our victim, because she did what so many people so many women are afraid to do and come forward to tell us what happened," Granit said.
Detectives determined that Louis was acting as the "employee," texting the woman and that he had acted as an employee to intimidate the victim and take advantage of her.
"I am profoundly disturbed by the actions of an individual who, under the guise of authority, took advantage of an international student's vulnerability," said Sheriff Chad Chronister.
Louis has been charged with two counts of Sexual Battery and is being held at the Falkenburg Road Jail on $60,000 bond.