--- title: "Rideshare Driver Charged with Rape, Kidnapping of Teen" publication: "MediaBias News" url: "https://mediabias.news/politics/rideshare-driver-charged-with-rape-kidnapping-of-teen" api: "https://mediabias.news/api/v1/stories/rideshare-driver-charged-with-rape-kidnapping-of-teen" markdown: "https://mediabias.news/politics/rideshare-driver-charged-with-rape-kidnapping-of-teen.md" audio: "https://mediabias.news/api/audio/rideshare-driver-charged-with-rape-kidnapping-of-teen" category: "Politics" area: "United States" published: "2026-09-19T23:45:57.262Z" source_reported: "2026-09-19T02:47:12.000Z" updated: "2026-09-19T23:45:57.262Z" trust_score: 60 critic_score: 60 hype_score: 60 assessment_type: "coverage-and-source-reporting-analysis" fact_check_status: "not-performed" coverage_measured: "2026-09-20T01:15:14.397772+00:00" --- # Rideshare Driver Charged with Rape, Kidnapping of Teen *Abdoulaye Dia faces charges in Maryland after a prior arrest in New York.* **Scores for the source reporting** (0-100, assessing the original journalism this article was written from, not this write-up): - Trust 60 of 100, higher is better. Central claim attributed to named bodies, with court documents and police spokespeople cited. - Craft 60 of 100, higher is better. Reporting includes details on the app's cease-and-desist order and the driver's prior charges. - Hype 60 of 100, lower is better. Several outlets emphasize the driver's immigration status and use loaded language like 'African Illegal'. Scored by MediaBias News; method at https://mediabias.news/methodology. **The short version** - Rideshare driver Abdoulaye Dia was arrested and charged with rape and kidnapping of a 17-year-old girl in Montgomery County, Maryland. - Montgomery County Police are concerned Dia may have committed similar acts previously. - The rideshare app, Empower, had been ordered to cease operations in Maryland due to failure to monitor driver records. - Dia was charged in New York in June with offenses including sexual abuse of a minor. Abdoulaye Dia, a rideshare driver, has been arrested and charged with rape and kidnapping of a teenage girl in Montgomery County, Maryland. According to court documents, the 17-year-old victim ordered a rideshare through the Empower app to go to a friend's house. Investigators believe Dia purposefully drove past her residence, stopped the vehicle in a parking lot, and then raped the teen. He faces charges including first-degree rape and kidnapping. Montgomery County Police spokesperson Shiera Goff expressed concern that Dia may have committed similar acts before. Court documents indicate that Empower was ordered to cease-and-desist operations in Maryland in July, with the state citing the company's failure to monitor driver records as a risk to public safety. Investigators also noted that Dia was charged in New York in June with criminal offenses, including the sexual abuse of a minor. Empower stated that background checks on Dia, conducted on July 16, 2026, did not include any incidents. The company also said that every driver using their software undergoes background checks, sex offender checks, motor vehicle record checks, social security number traces, and global watchlist searches. Dia is being held without bond. ## Disagreement on driver's immigration status Several right-rated reports described Abdoulaye Dia as an "illegal immigrant" or "illegal alien." NewsFinale, an unrated outlet, also stated he was "living in the United States illegally." The centre-rated report from Fox5 DC did not mention Dia's immigration status. ## What the coverage left out None of the reports printed below mention the specific date of Abdoulaye Dia's arrest in Montgomery County, Maryland. The centre-rated report states the incident occurred "On Monday," but does not provide the date. The right-rated reports and unrated digests do not specify the date of the Maryland arrest. ## Who covered it Shares of the 14 covering outlets with a published leaning rating: - Left: 0% (0) - Centre: 21% (3) - Right: 79% (11) 7 of 21 covering outlets carried no usable leaning rating and were excluded from those percentages. Coverage measured 2026-09-20T01:15:14.397772+00:00. **Coverage watch:** developing. Checked 7 times; 0 checks found a material change. Most recently checked 2026-09-20T01:30:21.546Z. ## How the sides framed it ### Left No separate framing summary. ### Centre - The centre-rated report from Fox5 DC led with the arrest and charges against rideshare driver Abdoulaye Dia for rape and kidnapping of a teenage girl in Montgomery County. It detailed the circumstances of the alleged assault, including the use of the Empower app and Dia's alleged deviation from the victim's route. The report included statements from Montgomery County Police spokesperson Shiera Goff expressing concern about prior incidents and quoted Empower's statement regarding background checks. The centre-rated report did not mention Dia's immigration status. ### Right - Eight right-rated reports led with the description of Abdoulaye Dia as an "illegal immigrant" or "illegal alien" charged with rape in Maryland, often linking it to a prior arrest in New York for sexual abuse. These reports frequently cited federal authorities or the Department of Homeland Security in relation to his immigration status. For example, the New York Post's digest stated: "Empower rideshare driver and illegal immigrant Abdoulaye Dia was arrested and charged with raping a teenage passenger in Maryland after a prior arrest in NYC." Similarly, Fox News' digest reported: "An illegal immigrant rideshare driver accused of sexually assaulting a teenage female passenger in Maryland has a history of sex abuse in New York, federal authorities said." **Provisional coverage gap:** left. The watch is not closed, so this is not yet a settled blindspot finding. ## Factuality profile of the covering outlets These are published factuality ratings of the outlets, not a verdict on whether this story or its claims are true. - veryLow: 1 - low: 1 - mixed: 7 - high: 1 - unknown: 7 - veryHigh: 4 ## Verification scope This page compares coverage and scores the source reporting. It is not a ClaimReview verdict on whether the underlying event or claim is true. ## Original reporting this was written from - [Politics, Policy, Political News](https://politicom.com.au/rideshare-driver-accused-of-kidnapping-and-assaulting-minor-is-illegal-from-guinea-released-at-border-by-biden-administration) — Rideshare Driver Accused of Kidnapping and Assaulting Minor is Illegal from Guinea Released at Border by Biden Administration - Politics, Policy, Political Views - [The Gateway Pundit](https://thegatewaypundit.com/2026/09/rideshare-driver-accused-kidnapping-assaulting-minor-is-illegal) — Rideshare Driver Accused of Kidnapping and Assaulting Minor is Illegal from Guinea Released at Border by Biden Administration * The Gateway Pundit * by Margaret Flavin - [dailymail.com](https://dailymail.com/news/article-16144415/illegal-immigrant-rideshare-driver-maryland-rape.html) — Illegal immigrant rideshare driver accused of rape had prior arrest - [The Nerd Stash](https://thenerdstash.com/stephen-millers-storm-the-polls-call-divides-viewers-after-he-ties-maryland-rideshare-assault-case-to-democrat-policies) — Stephen Miller’s ‘Storm the Polls’ Call Divides Viewers After He Ties Maryland Rideshare Assault Case to Democrat Policies - [Le·gal In·sur·rec·tion](https://legalinsurrection.com/2026/09/illegal-alien-released-after-nyc-sex-abuse-arrest-charged-with-raping-minor-in-maryland) — Illegal Alien Released After NYC Sex-Abuse Arrest Charged With Raping Minor in Maryland - [Bizpac Review](https://bizpacreview.com/2026/09/19/biden-released-illegal-alien-charged-with-kidnapping-raping-underage-girl-in-rideshare-horror-1659692) — Biden-released illegal alien charged with kidnapping, raping underage girl in rideshare horror - [NewsFinale](https://newsfinale.com/us/immigrant-rideshare-driver-faces-maryland-rape-charge-nyc-abuse-arrest) — Immigrant Rideshare Driver Faces Maryland Rape Charge, NYC Abuse Arrest - [New York Post](https://nypost.com/2026/09/18/us-news/illegal-immigrant-rideshare-driver-arrested-in-nyc-sexual-abuse-case-charged-with-rape-in-maryland) — Illegal immigrant rideshare driver arrested in NYC sexual abuse case, charged with rape in Maryland - [nytimespost.com](https://nytimespost.com/illegal-immigrant-rideshare-driver-charged-with-rape-in-maryland-had-prior-nyc-sex-abuse-arrest) — Illegal immigrant rideshare driver charged with rape in Maryland had prior NYC sex abuse arrest - NEW YORK TIMES POST - [alexjoneslive.com](https://alexjoneslive.com/2026/09/18/african-illegal-arrested-for-raping-underage-rideshare-passenger-in-sanctuary-maryland-after-being-charged-with-sexually-abusing-child-in-new-york) — African Illegal Arrested for Raping Underage Rideshare Passenger in Sanctuary Maryland - After Being Charged With Sexually Abusing Child in New York - Alex Jones Live - [WVII / Fox Bangor](https://foxbangor.com/news/national/illegal-immigrant-rideshare-driver-charged-with-rape-in-maryland-had-prior-nyc-sex-abuse-arrest/article_37ea7f67-482f-50fa-a74f-5e02944d6c0d.html) — Illegal immigrant rideshare driver charged with rape in Maryland had prior NYC sex abuse arrest - [democraticaccent.com](https://democraticaccent.com/illegal-immigrant-rideshare-driver-charged-with-rape-in-maryland-had-prior-nyc-sex-abuse-arrest) — Illegal immigrant rideshare driver charged with rape in Maryland had prior NYC sex abuse arrest – Democratic Accent - [wfmd.com](https://wfmd.com/2026/09/18/illegal-immigrant-rideshare-driver-charged-with-rape-in-maryland-had-prior-nyc-sex-abuse-arrest) — Illegal immigrant rideshare driver charged with rape in Maryland had prior NYC sex abuse arrest - [Fox News](https://foxnews.com/us/illegal-immigrant-rideshare-driver-charged-rape-maryland-prior-nyc-sex-abuse-arrest) — Illegal immigrant rideshare driver charged with rape in Maryland had prior NYC sex abuse arrest - [Hoodline](https://hoodline.com/2026/09/silver-spring-rideshare-driver-charged-with-raping-teen-police-seek-more-victims) — Silver Spring Rideshare Driver Charged With Rape, Kidnapping - [WUSA9](https://wusa9.com/article/news/crime/empower-rideshare-driver-arrested-raping-teen-girl-passenger-silver-spring/65-9d965e3f-f5f1-427a-b5bb-6d2d7f22f2c2) — illegal Rideshare driver arrested in Montgomery County, MD for allegedly kidnapping & raping an underage girl - [WBFF](https://foxbaltimore.com/news/local/illegal-immigrant-accused-in-maryland-rape-had-previous-sex-abuse-arrest-in-new-york) — Illegal immigrant accused in Maryland rape had previous sex abuse arrest in New York - [Baltimore Fishbowl](https://baltimorefishbowl.com/stories/friday-morning-headlines-trump-repeals-chesapeake-bay-protection-order-suspended-baltimore-deputy-police-commissioner-facing-state-police-investigation-ravens-fans-lose-prime-tailgating-spots-and) — Maryland rideshare driver accused of rape and kidnap of teen passenger - [Fox5 DC](https://fox5dc.com/news/rideshare-driver-charged-rape-kidnapping-montgomery-county) — Rideshare driver charged with rape, kidnapping in Montgomery County - [mocofeed.com](https://mocofeed.com/rideshare-driver-charged-with-rape-and-kidnapping-detectives-seek-additional-victims-mocofeed) — Rideshare Driver Charged with Rape and Kidnapping; Detectives Seek Additional Victims – Mocofeed - [abc 7 WJLA](https://wjla.com/news/local/silver-spring-empower-rideshare-driver-rape-kidnapping-abdoulaye-dia-montgomery-county-teen-girl-victim-maryland-police-investigation-child-sex-assault-crimes) — Empower rideshare driver accused of raping teenage girl in Maryland parking lot ## Questions **What charges does Abdoulaye Dia face in Maryland?** Abdoulaye Dia faces charges of first-degree rape and kidnapping in Montgomery County, Maryland. He is also charged with second-degree assault and a third-degree sex offense, according to some reports. **What is known about Abdoulaye Dia's prior legal history?** Abdoulaye Dia was charged in New York in June with criminal offenses including the sexual abuse of a minor. Some reports also describe him as having a history of sex abuse in New York. **What action has been taken against the rideshare app Empower?** Empower was ordered to cease-and-desist operations in Maryland due to its failure to monitor driver records. This ruling has since been appealed. Empower stated that background checks on Dia conducted on July 16, 2026, did not include any incidents. --- MediaBias News — https://mediabias.news. Reproduced from https://mediabias.news/politics/rideshare-driver-charged-with-rape-kidnapping-of-teen. Please cite as: MediaBias News, "Rideshare Driver Charged with Rape, Kidnapping of Teen", https://mediabias.news/politics/rideshare-driver-charged-with-rape-kidnapping-of-teen