<p>A Denver judge Friday sentenced a former ride-share driver to 290 years to life after prosecutors said he abducted a dozen women over four years by falsely posing as the driver they requested.</p>.<p>The man, John Pastor-Mendoza, was convicted in late October on 30 charges related to the kidnapping, attempted sexual assault and sexual assault of the women between 2018 and 2022.</p>.<p>Pastor-Mendoza, 43, who lived in Denver, falsely claimed to be the driver for women who used a ride-sharing app, picking them up outside downtown bars and clubs.</p>.<p>The women he targeted appeared intoxicated and were unaware that, although Pastor-Mendoza was a driver for Lyft, he was not the correct driver assigned to pick them up, authorities said.</p>.<p>Lyft said that there were no records of these rides and that Pastor-Mendoza was probably making the trips off the books, The Washington Post reported. Lyft did not immediately respond to a request for comment Saturday.</p>.14-year-old boy held in connection with fatal Newark police shooting.<p>According to Denver District Attorney John Walsh, Pastor-Mendoza would either sexually assault the women once they got into his car or take them to another location and assault them there.</p>.<p>"Pastor-Mendoza victimized 12 women in a calculated, cruel and contemptible series of crimes over four years," Walsh said in a news release. He called the sentence, by Judge Karen Brody of the Denver District Court, "entirely appropriate."</p>.<p>"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," Walsh added.</p>.<p>Pastor-Mendoza was convicted of kidnapping the 12 women, sexually assaulting two of them, attempting to sexually assault seven of them and robbery. Pastor-Mendoza maintained his innocence at the sentencing Friday<strong>, </strong>according to a spokesperson for the district attorney's office.</p>.<p>When Pastor-Mendoza was charged in October 2022, the Denver police announced that DNA evidence from at least three of the victims was a match for Pastor-Mendoza.</p>.<p>Rachel Perry, one of the women assaulted by Pastor-Mendoza, said her fight-or-flight response kicked in when she realized he was not driving her to her intended destination in March 2019, according to a November news release.</p>.<p>"We are strong, we fought and we fought hard," Perry told reporters alongside seven other victims at the courthouse Friday, the television station KUSA reported. "I survived a monster. We all did. And today, I feel like we got justice."</p>
<p>A Denver judge Friday sentenced a former ride-share driver to 290 years to life after prosecutors said he abducted a dozen women over four years by falsely posing as the driver they requested.</p>.<p>The man, John Pastor-Mendoza, was convicted in late October on 30 charges related to the kidnapping, attempted sexual assault and sexual assault of the women between 2018 and 2022.</p>.<p>Pastor-Mendoza, 43, who lived in Denver, falsely claimed to be the driver for women who used a ride-sharing app, picking them up outside downtown bars and clubs.</p>.<p>The women he targeted appeared intoxicated and were unaware that, although Pastor-Mendoza was a driver for Lyft, he was not the correct driver assigned to pick them up, authorities said.</p>.<p>Lyft said that there were no records of these rides and that Pastor-Mendoza was probably making the trips off the books, The Washington Post reported. Lyft did not immediately respond to a request for comment Saturday.</p>.14-year-old boy held in connection with fatal Newark police shooting.<p>According to Denver District Attorney John Walsh, Pastor-Mendoza would either sexually assault the women once they got into his car or take them to another location and assault them there.</p>.<p>"Pastor-Mendoza victimized 12 women in a calculated, cruel and contemptible series of crimes over four years," Walsh said in a news release. He called the sentence, by Judge Karen Brody of the Denver District Court, "entirely appropriate."</p>.<p>"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," Walsh added.</p>.<p>Pastor-Mendoza was convicted of kidnapping the 12 women, sexually assaulting two of them, attempting to sexually assault seven of them and robbery. Pastor-Mendoza maintained his innocence at the sentencing Friday<strong>, </strong>according to a spokesperson for the district attorney's office.</p>.<p>When Pastor-Mendoza was charged in October 2022, the Denver police announced that DNA evidence from at least three of the victims was a match for Pastor-Mendoza.</p>.<p>Rachel Perry, one of the women assaulted by Pastor-Mendoza, said her fight-or-flight response kicked in when she realized he was not driving her to her intended destination in March 2019, according to a November news release.</p>.<p>"We are strong, we fought and we fought hard," Perry told reporters alongside seven other victims at the courthouse Friday, the television station KUSA reported. "I survived a monster. We all did. And today, I feel like we got justice."</p>