A disturbing pattern of crime has surfaced in Miami where Yadir Alejandro Gongora, 40, has been arrested on Friday after being accused of raping at least two women, whom he allegedly picked up from a Brickell bar under the guise of being a rideshare driver; as stated in reports by Local 10 News. This is not the first instance of Gongora facing such accusations, it bears a stark resemblance to an earlier arrest in October where he allegedly assaulted women after posing as an Uber driver.
According to police records and court documents report, Gongora, a Hialeah resident had previously pleaded guilty to robbery by sudden snatching and was sentenced to two years probation in April, charges including sexual battery and strong-armed robbery were not pursued further by prosecutors, the court had then noted that Gongora "was not likely to engage in a criminal course of conduct," however, it seems the court's faith was perhaps misplaced as Gongora now faces new accusations of sexual battery and kidnapping stemming from incidents predating his last arrest. The supposed modus operandi involved picking up intoxicated young women from the Candela bar at 900 S. Miami Ave and preying upon their vulnerability to commit his alleged crimes, the women would wake up in unanticipated locations with no memory of ordering a rideshare, as reported by Local 10 News.
In further detail, the first incident involved a 22-year-old woman who woke up during the early hours of August 20, 2023, to find herself under assault in the backseat of a vehicle, only to later regain consciousness in a parking lot away from her intended destination, Gongora, as per the arrest report, was found alongside her; in another incident on September 29, a 21-year-old woman experienced a similar fate, awakening outside a pharmacy with personal items missing and her underwear in her purse, these accounts led to police interventions and subsequent rape examinations as detailed by Local 10 News.
Upon apprehension by Miami police, Gongora admitted in an interview that he had been offering rides to individuals leaving clubs in the Wynwood and downtown Miami areas, and predominantly picking up drunk patrons, as described he said "he preferred men because the women did not have money to pay for the rides," as per the Local 10 News report.
However what he disclosed next was redacted from police reports as he now remains held without bond at the Metrowest Detention Center, and with DNA matches linking him to the assaults questions arise about whether Gongora's alleged reign of predation has more untold victims, a concern presently under investigation by the Miami Police Department, according to an inquiry by the Miami Herald.
