MIAMI BEACH, FLA. – A Lyft driver faced a judge after being accused of raping a woman inside a Miami Beach hotel.
Samuel Bucevschi, 35, answered to charges in court on Tuesday morning after Miami Beach Police said he raped a woman inside a hotel along Collins Avenue.
According to court documents, Bucevschi was a Lyft driver for the victim, who was staying at the Eden Roc hotel.
The last thing the victim told police she remembered was ordering a Lyft ride at 1 a.m. to a club with a driver named Samuel back on Feb. 10. The victim said the driver told her to keep his cellphone number for a ride later in the night.
The victim woke up at around 10 a.m. to find her phone, ID and $500 in cash was gone.
She then realized she had been assaulted.
The victim gave her Lyft records to police that showed during the course of the early morning hours, the victim was charged nearly $300 for five additional Lyft rides with the same driver, Samuel.
Police reviewed surviellence footage to find the victim returning to the hotel at around 4:30 a.m., being carried on the back of the Lyft driver.
The victim was seen on surveillance cameras not being able to stand on her own.
Nearly an hour after the pair went into the hotel room, Bucevschi was seen leaving the room with two cellphones.
Bucevschi was booked into the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center on Monday.
This is the second time in a matter of a week 7News reported an assault involving a rideshare driver.
Police arrested 26-year-old Kevin Rojas on March 1.
The Lyft driver was arrested after, police said, the ride in which he picked his victim up from Wynwood was cut short.
He is accused of sexually assaulting a tourist from Texas in the back seat of his car.
“It’s definitely not suggested to travel by yourself,” said one woman.
“I think we all need to be better and look out for each other,” said a man.
Bucevschi is being charged with sexual battery, fraudulent use of a credit card and first degree grand theft.
He is being held on a $520,000 bond.
7News reached out to Lyft for a statement and is waiting to hear back.
