10 years after alleged shoplifter was raped at Rite Aid, Portland woman finds justice

Yahoo

12-04-2025

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — A former loss prevention officer was convicted of sexually assaulting a shoplifter at a Portland Rite Aid in 2015, the Multnomah County District Attorney's Office announced on Friday.
Daniel Luis Cassinelli was convicted of first-degree rape, two counts of first-degree sodomy, and two counts of second-degree sex abuse. He faces a minimum of eight years in prison.
'Victims, no matter their background or life circumstances deserve to be believed, and will be believed,' said Multnomah County Deputy District Attorney Quinn Zemel. 'It's never too late for justice.'
On Jan. 21, 2025, the victim reported that she was sexually assaulted in the loss prevention office of a Portland Rite Aid after she was caught shoplifting by Cassinelli.
'(Cassinelli) escorted her alone to (the) loss prevention office where he sexually assaulted and then raped her. After the assault, the defendant walked the victim to the surveillance room where he showed her the cameras and explained he had been watching her for quite some time. He told her not to tell anyone about the incident and he would not report her to the police,' the DA's office said. 'She got on a bus to Beaverton where she contacted a transit officer to report the rape. Police identified the defendant by talking to Rite Aid management about who was on duty and by reviewing video footage. She eventually separated from the case because of life circumstances and the case went cold.'
The case was picked up in Oct. 2021 by Portland detective Matthew Irvine, who reviewed video footage and identified Cassinelli and the victim going into the security room for over 20 minutes.
'Records from Rite-Aid show that the defendant had stopped the victim in two prior instances and wrote reports for those contacts, however, no report was written for this lengthy interaction during the assault. Irvine learns the defendant would have been in violation of policy by being alone with a female in the office and by not writing a report,' the DA's office said. 'Eventually, enough evidence was gained to bring an indictment and trial.'
Zemel said the break in the case was thanks in part to something called the Sexual Assault Kit Initiative. Thanks to more funds, a backlog of sexual assault kits that had never been tested and 'sitting in property or in warehouses' due to a lack of resources could finally be re-examined. Because of this, the case was reopened in 2022.
Maryann Stott, the sexual assault survivor in the case, spoke to KOIN 6 News. She said it all started after she was accused of stealing a soda. Now she's sharing her story in hopes of helping others in similar situations.
'At that time, compared to then and now, I'm a whole different…you know, my life has changed,' Stott said.
Stott shared that she is a recovering addict and mother.
'I'm not who I was,' she said.
She said she was lured into the offices of loss prevention at the Rite Aid because she didn't want to go to jail and 'I know they get you in and get you out.' However, after Cassinelli locked the door behind her in the room, 'that's when I knew something was about to happen, bad.'
'I just ran' after the incident, Stott said.
Even though she initially reported her assault, she eventually dropped it. She said many women do this because 'they feel like no one will believe them.'
'The outcome in the long run is worth being- going through that emotional stuff. Because now, I can start to heal. And hopefully those other women, those other victims, will, too,' Stott said.
Cassinelli will be sentenced on July 11.
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