PROVO, Utah, Oct. 26, 2017 (Gephardt Daily) — A Provo man has been arrested again on charges of object rape and forcible sexual abuse after he placed an ad on Craigslist purporting to be conducting medical research on a device for use on women.
Suspect Borzin Mottaghian, 34, initially faced charges of:
• Two counts of object rape, a first-degree felony
• One count of forcible sexual abuse, a second-degree felony
• Two counts of attempted object rape, a second-degree felony
• One count of attempted forcible sexual abuse, a third-degree felony
Mottaghian was booked into the Utah County Jail on Wednesday. His bail was set at $25,000 cash only, and he was released after it was paid.
Detectives with Provo Police Department received a complaint from a woman who said she responded to an ad she found on Craigslist, according to a news release from the Utah County Sheriff’s Office. The ad was for paid volunteers to participate in what was said to be research for medical devices specific to women’s health care.
The victim said after Mottaghian had her fill out paperwork, he told her to disrobe from the waist down. From there, the victim described that Mottaghian used his hands and other objects to penetrate her vagina and anus, the Utah County Sheriff’s Office news release says.
He also took photographs of the woman in this condition, the statement said. As this “exam” continued, the victim became uncomfortable with his actions. After she left, she reported what happened to police.
A second woman also met with Mottaghian at the same office in Provo, the statement says. She sat through the initial part of the meeting, where Mottaghian described his purpose and the nature of his “research.”
“This woman left before Mottaghian was able to sexually assault her in the same manner he had done with the first victim,” the statement says.
Because of a business relationship the city or police department has with a company owned by Mottaghian, the investigation was turned over to the Utah County Sheriff’s Office to avoid a conflict of interest.
On Wednesday, detectives executed a search warrant on the office Mottaghian used in this case. They found implements identified by the victim as those used by Mottaghian.
Mottaghian told the victims in this case the exams would be performed by a doctor, the statement said. Mottaghian is the one, in the first case, who actually conducted the “exam” and the interview in the second case, the UCSO statement says.
Investigators learned that Mottaghian is not a physician of any kind and is not licensed to perform any kind of medical procedures.
On Thursday afternoon, detectives with the UCSO identified another victim who responded to an ad she found on Craigslist. This victim reported that she met with Mottaghian in a Provo office on Oct. 18. As with the previous victim, Mottaghian presented himself as a doctor and described the procedures he would put her through.
Her description to detectives of what Mottaghian described was virtually the same as that given by the first victim and by the undercover detective. The acts he committed against this additional victim during his “exam” of her were also virtually identical to those committed against the first victim.
After interviewing this victim detectives located Mottaghian and booked him into jail. Charges this time include four counts of first-degree felony object rape, and two counts of second-degree felony forcible sexual abuse. Bail on these new charges has been set at $250,000 cash only.
Investigators have identified at least one more victim in this case, the statement said. They ask anyone who believes they may have participated in this “research” and been victimized by Mottaghian to call detectives at 801-851-4010, or to contact Utah Valley Dispatch at 801-794-3970.
