13-05-2025
Man impersonating rideshare driver charged with unlawful sexual contact of Colorado legislator
DENVER (KDVR) — A man acting as another rideshare driver is now facing a charge of unlawful sexual contact of a Colorado state representative after she reported being sexually assaulted while using Lyft.
Rep. Jenny Willford, a Democrat representing Adams County, sued Lyft earlier this year after reporting the incident, which happened in February 2024 in Northglenn. The 17th Judicial District Attorney's Office on Tuesday announced it has charged Mukhammadali Mukadyrov, 42, in the incident, and a warrant has been issued for his arrest.
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'Mukadyrov was allegedly acting as a rideshare driver while using the vehicle and account of another individual at the time of the offense,' the district attorney's office said.
Recounting the incident at a press conference at the state Capitol in January, Willford said she was sexually assaulted in view of her house, where her husband and children were at the time.
'The Lyft driver blocked my exit and when I tried to get out, he pushed me back down into the car,' Willford said. 'He touched me inappropriately and went on to sexually assault me.'
Willford sued Lyft and a local transportation company whose owner allegedly let Mukadyrov use his Lyft account and vehicle when he picked Willford up.
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'Lyft has known of well over 6,000 incidents of sex assault on their passengers, and to this date has still failed to take reasonable steps that would address the problem,' Morgan Carroll, an attorney representing Willford, said in January. 'Lyft has also known about the systemic problem of imposter and fake accounts and has failed to address the systemic problem.'
Willford's experience also led her to sponsor a bill passed at the end of the legislative session that adds several protection measures to rideshare drivers. Gov. Jared Polis has yet to sign the bill, HB25-1291, which had prompted Uber to threaten to leave Colorado if it became law due to enforcement concerns.
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