Police say a 57-year-old man was arrested Wednesday in South Salt Lake and charged with first-degree rape and sexual extortion after allegedly using a woman's immigration status as leverage. According to court documents, investigators say he coerced her by threatening to report her to immigration authorities and to take custody of her child. Authorities allege the most recent assault happened on April 18 and that similar coercive encounters occurred as often as once a week beginning in June 2025.
How police say the abuse unfolded
Court filings and police reports reviewed by ABC4 Utah state that the suspect repeatedly used threats about immigration enforcement to control the victim, telling her he would contact ICE and seek custody of her child if she resisted. The documents describe an April 18 encounter in which the suspect allegedly forced the victim to shower and then sexually assaulted her in a motel room and later in his vehicle.
Arrest and where he is being held
South Salt Lake police arrested the man this week and charged him with one count of rape and one count of sexual extortion, according to charging paperwork. The Salt Lake County Sheriff's Office lists the Metro Jail at 3415 South 900 West in Salt Lake City as the facility where the suspect has been booked.
Charges and legal context
Prosecutors filed one count of rape, a first-degree felony, and one count of sexual extortion, a third-degree felony, in the case, according to the charging documents. Sexual extortion is defined under Utah Code §76-5b-204. Advocates and prior reporting have noted that threats to call immigration authorities are a known tactic abusers use to silence survivors, and KUER has reported on agreements that allow some county jails to hold ICE detainees.
What happens next
The case remains under investigation and will move through Salt Lake County's court system as prosecutors decide how to proceed. Police have asked anyone with information related to the case to contact South Salt Lake investigators while the inquiry continues.
