Police in Montgomery County, Maryland, arrested Abdoulaye Dia for the alleged kidnapping and rape of an underage girl during an Empower rideshare trip. The Department of Homeland Security confirmed that Dia, a citizen of Guinea, entered the U.S. illegally through Lukeville, Arizona, on December 21, 2023, and was released by Border Patrol. Maryland investigators believe Dia took the victim to a parking lot to commit the assault and suspect there are additional victims.

The New York City Police Department previously arrested Dia on June 10 for sexual abuse by forcible compulsion and the injury of a child under 17. Those charges included sexual abuse without consent and the forcible touching of intimate parts. Dia lived in Lanham, Maryland, and operated as a rideshare driver before his arrest by Montgomery County authorities.