A 48-year-old former rideshare driver accused of multiple counts of sexual assault and rape was sentenced to 310 years to life in state prison on Wednesday, according to Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office officials.
Canyon Country resident Nicolas Morales was arrested in February 2019 on suspicion of committing multiple acts of rape and other sex offenses.
According to prosecutors, he is believed to have posed as a rideshare driver and attacked female passengers, and often used a knife as means to force his victims into committing sexual acts.
After his arrest, Morales was charged with 28 different criminal counts, including: nine counts of forcible oral copulation; six counts of rape; five counts of sodomy by use of force; four counts of forcible sexual penetration by foreign object; and one count each of assault with intent to commit a felony, attempted sodomy by use of force and attempted kidnapping to commit another crime.
“On Feb. 16 as jury trial was in progress, defendant Nicholas Morales pleaded no contest to all 27 counts and admitted all allegations,” wrote the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office in an email to The Signal.
Morales’ probation and sentence hearing was scheduled for Wednesday at the Alhambra courthouse.
“He was sentenced to 310 years to life in state prison,” wrote the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office.
