Four Uber drivers face federal indictments accusing them of kidnapping and sexually assaulting female riders in recent years, the result of a multi-agency initiative to crack down on rideshare drivers, officials announced in Houston Thursday.

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Cesar Martell, Janaka Manatunga, Barney Flores and Abdou Mbacke were all recently indicted on felony charges of kidnapping, court records show. Martell and Manatunga were expected to appear in federal court on Thursday afternoon, while Mbacke remained at large as a wanted fugitive, Ganjei said. Flores was arrested last month and remained in custody, he said. All of the charges carry a possible sentence of life in federal prison.

The men are accused of kidnapping the women using their cell phones and vehicles, both of which are means of interstate and foreign commerce, making them eligible for federal charges.

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Court records allege Martell, who’s been driving for Uber since 2018, offered a woman a ride on June 12, 2021, when he encountered her in the 11900 block of the Eastex Freeway frontage road in north Houston. After agreeing to give the woman a ride, Martell took her to an abandoned gas station on McCarty Street, where he choked and sexually assaulted her, according to the indictment.

Martell also is accused of sexually assaulting another female rider on May 21, 2023, after encouraging her to text him outside of the Uber App to set up a ride for a lower price. After the woman reported the assault to Uber, the company terminated Martell’s account, court records state.

An exam performed on both women found DNA matching Martell’s, according to court records. He faces two counts of kidnapping.

Flores is accused of sexually assaulting a female rider on May 12, 2025, after a friend had arranged an Uber ride home for her. Instead, Flores drove the woman to a parking lot and climbed into the backseat, according to court records. After waking up in the back of the car, the woman found that her clothing had been removed and Flores was on top of her with his clothes partially undone and his genitals exposed, court records allege. The charges don’t say why the woman had lost consciousness.

After the woman threatened to call the police, Flores got back in the front seat and drove off, but the woman was able to escape, according to court records. Flores’s Uber account was terminated after the woman reported the assault to the company.

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