Operation Lighthouse targets alleged assaults on female passengers; one suspect remains at large.
HOUSTON, TX — Federal prosecutors on Thursday announced kidnapping indictments against four Uber drivers accused of luring or detaining female passengers and sexually assaulting them across the Houston area, unveiling the charges at an afternoon news conference alongside FBI Houston and local police.
Prosecutors said the cases are the first publicly detailed under Operation Lighthouse, a new initiative pairing the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas with FBI Houston, the Houston Police Department, and the Harris and Montgomery County sheriff’s offices. The indictments, filed in Houston federal court, allege the men used their vehicles and cellphones to facilitate the crimes — conduct that allows federal charges — and warned that each kidnapping count carries a potential life sentence. Authorities said at least three of the four defendants are in custody as the investigation continues and that agents believe more victims may exist.
U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei introduced the operation and the cases during the briefing, flanked by FBI Houston leaders and local law enforcement. He said the defendants — identified as Cesar Martell, Janaka Manatunga, Barney Flores and Abdou Mbacke — used the trust placed in rideshare drivers to prey on women who believed they were headed home. “When a driver abuses that trust to sexually assault a passenger, they cease being providers and become predators,” Ganjei said. FBI Assistant Special Agent in Charge Ryan Whalen credited women who reported assaults for enabling the arrests and said investigators are pursuing additional tips. Officials added that one defendant remains a fugitive.
According to court filings summarized by officials, Martell is charged in two attacks. In one, on June 12, 2021, he allegedly offered a woman a ride near the 11900 block of the Eastex Freeway and drove her instead to an abandoned gas station on McCarty Street, where he choked and sexually assaulted her. In a separate May 21, 2023 incident, he is accused of assaulting another woman after arranging an off-app ride for a lower price. Examinations in both cases produced a DNA profile that matched Martell, the filings state. Flores is accused of assaulting a passenger on May 12, 2025, after driving her to a parking lot and climbing into the back seat; the woman later awoke with her clothing removed and escaped after threatening to call police. Mbacke is alleged to have kidnapped a woman on Dec. 14, 2023, driving her to a north Houston motel, where she awoke in a bed with evidence of recent sexual activity. Manatunga is accused of preventing a woman from closing her car door in a Woodlands parking garage in 2025 and assaulting her until another vehicle passed by.
Officials said Martell and Manatunga were expected to make initial appearances in federal court Thursday afternoon. Flores, arrested last month, remained in custody pending further proceedings. Mbacke, whose last known address is in The Woodlands, is wanted and considered at large. Authorities said the men used their roles as drivers — and tools of interstate commerce like phones and vehicles — to commit kidnappings by driving victims to places they did not request or by blocking them from leaving a car. Prosecutors emphasized that the indictments are accusations and that the men remain presumed innocent unless proven guilty. They declined to discuss investigative methods beyond citing interviews, medical exams and electronic records referenced in the charging papers.
Uber said it terminated the driver accounts after the alleged incidents were reported and that the company has been assisting investigators. “Sexual assault and kidnapping are horrific crimes that have no place on the Uber platform,” the company said in a statement, adding that its global safety team, which includes former law enforcement personnel, supports active investigations and helps provide records when requested by authorities. The initiative’s launch follows years of scrutiny of rider safety, as well as local cases in which women reported being assaulted after using rideshare services in Harris and Montgomery counties. Law enforcement leaders standing with federal prosecutors — including Houston Police Chief Noe Diaz and senior officials from both sheriff’s offices — said the joint effort is intended to sustain attention and resources on rideshare-related crimes.
The indictments outline separate fact patterns. In the motel case tied to Mbacke, investigators reported finding a used condom and a disturbed bed when they later searched a room, according to a summary read at the briefing. In the Flores case, the woman regained consciousness in the back seat to find the driver on top of her with his clothing partially undone, then escaped after he moved to the front seat and drove off. In Martell’s two cases, court records describe strangulation and a DNA link to both victims. In the Woodlands garage incident connected to Manatunga, officials said the driver insisted on walking the woman to her car, then allegedly blocked her door and assaulted her several times before leaving when another vehicle approached. Prosecutors said reasons for victims’ loss of consciousness in two incidents remain unknown.
Thursday’s announcement marks the opening phase of Operation Lighthouse, which prosecutors described as an ongoing, multi-case effort rather than a one-day sweep. Grand jurors have returned kidnapping counts so far, but officials said additional federal or state charges — including sexual assault counts — could follow as evidence is reviewed. Three of the men also face pending cases in Harris or Montgomery County. Initial federal hearings are expected to address detention and scheduling; if a judge orders detention, the defendants would remain in custody while the government produces discovery and sets motion deadlines under standard federal procedure. Prosecutors said they anticipate status updates in the coming weeks as agents investigate additional reports.
Outside the courthouse, FBI personnel and local officers said the cases have drawn calls from across greater Houston, including from riders who previously dismissed encounters as “creepy” or “unsettling” but now recognize potentially criminal conduct. “Today’s arrests are due in large part to the bravery of the victims who reported their kidnappings and sexual assaults,” Whalen said. A Harris County investigator at the briefing said teams are reviewing rideshare trip histories, surveillance video and license-plate reads near alleged crime scenes. A spokesperson for Montgomery County said prosecutors there will coordinate with federal counterparts to avoid duplicate prosecutions and to ensure that any potential state cases do not interfere with the federal timeline.
As of Thursday evening, three defendants were in custody and one remained at large. Federal magistrate hearings for initial appearances were expected to begin later in the day, with detention decisions to follow. Officials said additional updates are likely once the fugitive is apprehended or a preliminary hearing date is set.
Author note: Last updated January 15, 2026.