CHICAGO — Prosecutors allege a Chicago Uber driver brought a drunken passenger back to his Albany Park apartment, sexually assaulted her and then told her "I made you happy."
Maxime Fohounhedo, 30, of the 4400 block of North Lawndale Avenue, was charged with criminal sexual assault and criminal sexual abuse connected to a Nov. 16 incident, according to police.
His wife, whose account he was using during the time of the incident, said outside of court on Tuesday that if anything happened, it was consensual.
The alleged incident occurred after the victim requested a ride from Uber about 2:30 a.m. after a night out with her colleagues in River North, according to a police report filed later that day.
The 22-year-old woman initially fell asleep in the back seat, but Fohounhedo told her to move to the front, telling her he didn't know where her destination was, said Assistant State's Attorney Robert Mack.
After Fohounhedo placed her hand in his pants while in the car, the woman blacked out and later awoke on a leather couch in Fohounhedo's apartment, Mack said.
"I do believe that if anything happened it was consensual," Sheena Fohounhedo, the wife of the accused, told reporters Tuesday.
Maxime Fohounhedo later took the woman home. As he was leading her down the back stairs of his building, he told her "I made you happy," according to prosecutors.
The woman texted a friend shortly after 4 a.m. about the incident before falling asleep, the police report said.
"I was just sexually assaulted by my Uber driver and I'm supberb (sic) drunk, but I need someone to remind me to follow through to make sure this never happens again," she texted, according to the report.
The 22-year-old victim was treated at Swedish Covenant Hospital, police said.
Uber spokeswoman Jennifer Mullin said that the company is looking into the Fohounhedo couple sharing an account.
"Account sharing is expressly prohibited on the Uber platform," Mullin said in a statement. "Mr. and Mrs. Fohounhedo committed fraud in this deplorable act and we are exploring all legal options."
Sheena Fohounhedo emailed the company asking to add her husband to her account, according to documents provided by Uber to DNAinfo. "You are not able to add drivers to an Uber X account," an Uber employee responded in an email.
Before Fohounhedo's arrest, Mullin said in a statement that the company "immediately removed the driver from the Uber platform" after the company was notified of the incident.
"This is an appalling and unacceptable incident, and first and foremost our thoughts are with the victim and her family," Mullin said. "We immediately removed the driver from the Uber platform when we learned of the reported incident and are cooperating fully with law enforcement. We stand ready to assist them however we can to hold the perpetrator accountable. "
Bail for Fohounhedo was set at $500,000.
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