An illegal immigrant living in Maryland who worked as a driver for a ride-sharing company was sentenced Friday for sexually assaulting a female passenger while driving on Capitol Hill last December, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia.
Selvin Chocooj, a 32-year-old man from Guatemala, was sentenced to 19 months in prison for sexually assaulting a woman during a ride in Northeast D.C., U.S. Attorney Jessie K. Liu announced.
Chocooj, a Guatemalan national, pleaded guilty in April to third-degree sexual abuse. Chocooj was ordered to serve supervised release and register for the sex offender list following his release. However, the U.S. Attorney’s Office stated he will be turned over to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement following his time served, indicating he is in the country illegally.
At around 4 a.m. ET on Dec. 10, 2017, the victim’s friend had called an Uber to their unspecified location on Capitol Hill.
“A friend of the complainant had ordered an Uber vehicle to transport them, and the defendant arrived as their Uber driver,” according to court documents the Washington Examiner obtained. “However, an argument occurred that resulted in the friend exiting the vehicle and canceling the Uber ride. The defendant, however, continued to transport the victim under the guise of acting as a Good Samaritan, as Uber was no longer compensating him for the trip. Subsequently, the defendant forcibly sexually assaulted the victim.”
The two had been driving in the Toyota Prius near the 400 block of East Capitol Street NE, when the driver touched her breast “by force and against her will,” the court documents stated.
“The complainant resisted the defendant’s advance and a physical struggle ensued. During this struggle, Mr. Chocooj sustained injuries to his face and the complainant sustained injuries to her neck and shoulder,” it added. “During this struggle, the defendant physically forced the complainant out of the vehicle, got back into the car, and drove away. The complainant remained on scene and called 911.”
Officers from the Metropolitan Police Department went to Chocooj’s apartment in Oxon Hill, Md., the day after the incident and witnessed him jump out a third-story window to evade police.
On Dec. 22, U.S. Marshals apprehended him near Pikeville, Ky.
