Four separate indictments were issued for Houston-area men accused of kidnapping and sexually assaulting women while working as rideshare drivers. Federal prosecutors allege that the suspects- Barney Flores, Cesar Martell, Janaka Manatunga, and Abdou Mbacke- used their position as rideshare drivers to target women who were intoxicated or otherwise defenseless. Additionally, prosecutors claim that the four drivers used a similar tactic of picking up women, diverting their routes, or not letting the women get out of their vehicle, forcing themselves on the victims, and assaulting them.
Additionally, officials believe that there may be more victims out there and urge anyone who believes they may have been victimized by a rideshare driver to contact law enforcement. Investigators ask that you contact the FBI directly at 1-800-CALL-FBI or go online to http://tips.fbi.gov and make a report.
Barney Flores
Barney Flores, 35, is accused of sexually assaulting a female rider after a friend had arranged an Uber ride home for her, as she was too intoxicated to drive. Once in the vehicle, the victim passed out in the backseat. Instead of driving her home, Flores drove to a parking lot and climbed into the backseat. Allegedly, the victim woke up to find her clothing had been removed, and Flores was on top of her with his genitals exposed. After the woman threatened to call the police, Flores got into the front seat and drove off, but the woman was unable to escape. Flores’s Uber account was terminated after the woman reported the assault to the company, and he faces one federal kidnapping charge.
Cesar Martell
Cesar Martell, 32, is facing two counts of federal kidnapping. In one of the cases, the 31-year-old female victim asked Martell to stop at an abandoned gas station so she could use the restroom. When they stopped, Martell allegedly climbed on top of the victim in the passenger seat and choked her for several minutes before attempting to sexually assault her. The victim claims she kicked Martell off of her and fled from his vehicle before flagging down another driver who took her to a police station. In addition to this incident, Martell’s DNA is connected to three other ongoing sexual assault investigations.
Janaka Manatunga
Janaka Manatunga, 56, is accused of driving a woman to a parking garage in The Woodlands and sexually assaulting her after insisting he walk her to her car upon dropping her off. According to the indictment, when the victim attempted to get into her vehicle, Manatunga prevented her from closing the door and sexually assaulted her several times. Allegedly, the only reason he stopped and fled the scene was that another vehicle drove by. Manatunga is facing one federal kidnapping charge.
Abdou Mbacke
Abdou Mbacke, 42, allegedly kidnapped a female passenger after she lost consciousness in the back of his car. The victim reported that she had too much to drink. Mbacke is accused of driving the victim to a Motel 6 in north Houston while she was unconscious. Allegedly, when the victim woke up, she found that she was in a bed naked with Mbacke lying next to her. When the woman began asking him questions, Mbacke fled the scene. Investigators later recovered a used condom from a toilet in the hotel room. As the investigation continued, authorities say Mbacke booked a one-way international flight on July 24, 2025, and left the country. Mbacke remains at large and is also wanted on a state sexual assault warrant involving the same incident.
What is Operation Lighthouse?
The charges against the four rideshare drivers came as a result of Operation Lighthouse, an initiative led by federal and local law enforcement agencies to combat sexual abuse involving ridesharing platforms. Operation Lighthouse leverages federal resources and sentencing laws in an attempt to secure more severe penalties and bring justice to rideshare sexual assault victims. The operation has increased public scrutiny of how rideshare companies handle background checks for drivers and reports of sexual assault involving drivers, and has heightened public concern about whether rideshare platforms like Uber are safe to use. Additionally, the operation is intended to send a clear message to drivers that if they abuse their position, they will be arrested and prosecuted.
In addition to these four cases, Uber and other rideshare platforms are being sued by over 3,000 passengers who allege that they were sexually assaulted, harassed, and/or harmed in other ways by their driver. In these cases, the victims allege that Uber was negligent by failing to implement appropriate safety measures to protect passengers. Additionally, the plaintiffs allege that Uber was aware of the high volume of reported sexual assaults that occurred in Uber vehicles but failed to respond to previous complaints made by other passengers and allowed the drivers to continue working. The plaintiffs also allege that Uber used defective marketing to portray its platform as a safe alternative to impaired driving.
Recently, the Uber/ rideshare sexual assault litigation has begun, with many of the bellwether cases reaching settlements before making it to court. However, one bellwether case that reached trial reached a verdict that found Uber liable. On February 5, 2026, a U.S. jury ordered Uber to pay $8.5 million in compensatory damages to a plaintiff who stated that she was sexually assaulted by her Uber driver when she was 19.
Rideshare companies like Uber claim they have improved their ride safety features. Uber states that the company has implemented safety features such as real-time ID check, driver selfie requirements, an in-app emergency button, and an option to connect with a live ADT agent for the duration of the trip. Despite the inclusion of these safety features, Uber has not made other mechanisms mandatory, such as dashboard cameras. Additionally, Uber offers a woman-to-woman rider-pilot option in other countries. This option allows women passengers to set a preference within the Uber app to only be picked up by women drivers. Uber has stated that selecting this preference does not completely guarantee that the driver will be a woman, but it increases the likelihood. Despite this feature being available in other countries, Uber has only recently begun offering it in the U.S. As of now, only 26 cities in the U.S. have access to the woman-to-woman preference option.
Choosing to open up and take a step toward seeking the justice you deserve can be difficult, but you do not have to go through this process alone. At Simmons and Fletcher, P.C., our attorneys understand the difficulty of your situation and are here to provide guidance and solace. A rideshare sexual assault lawyer will be with you at every step during your lawsuit and will ensure that you have access to a combined wealth of counselors, psychiatrists, victims’ advocates, medical experts, and forensic experts to provide you with the support you need. Let us fight to protect your rights and for the compensation you deserve. For a 100% free and confidential consultation, call us at (713) 932-0777.
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