An Algerian national allegedly attacked two women in the backseat of his New York taxi in separate incidents, but is still fishing for fares after striking a sweet deal with Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg. New York Post reported Saturday.
Records show Mohammed Bellebia, 34, was allowed to plead guilty to at least one of the incidents, the newspaper said.
According to the tabloid's detailed report, the taxi driver's first alleged victim was 23-year-old Maile Bartow, who got into Bellebia's yellow minivan at about 2 a.m. last November after a night out on the town with friends.
What should have been a relaxing ten-minute drive to her home in the Down East turned into a nightmarish drive through the dark streets of the Big Apple.
Bellebia, who reportedly spoke little English, began touching her leg, according to Bellebia. Fast check.
The taxi driver not only ignored her pleas to stop, but also groped her genitals, according to a lawsuit filed by the woman against the driver and the taxi company, ironically called Quiet Taxi.
During the alleged attack, Bartow took photos of the taxi driver's actions but snatched the photo from her hands and deleted her photos, she said. She then began recording her requests for him to stop in voicemail.
“I started begging him: “Let me out!” Bartow recalls. “I didn't want to make him any more angry than he already was. I was so afraid he would kidnap or kill me.”
According to her, the taxi driver finally stopped. She had to call a taxi service to get home. The California native worked in New York as a social media marketer.
The next morning, she filed a complaint with the NYPD.
A month later, in December, Bellebia allegedly took another ticket at 2 a.m., touched the woman's leg throughout the ride and tried to remove the 33-year-old victim's underwear, a law enforcement source said. Mail.
His vehicle reportedly did not have a partition or camera system.
The taxi driver was arrested on December 19, 2024 and charged in both cases, reports Mail. In the Bartow case, Bellebia faces charges of offenses related to forcible touching and sexual assault. A conviction could result in a sentence ranging from probation to a year in prison.
Instead, Bellebia pleaded guilty to disorderly conduct in March and was released “on probation,” the Post reported, avoiding jail time on the condition that he stay out of trouble with the law.
The second charge is under typo. Mail reported, no additional information available.
Bartow, who has since moved out of town, said Mail she had no idea there was a second assault charge and was kept in the dark by the District Attorney's Office.
“Oh my God,” she said Pos.t when she found out about the second woman.
It wasn't until she was pestering the DA's office with phone calls that she learned of the taxi driver's plea deal. Meanwhile, Bellebia had his license suspended after the incident, but it was reportedly reinstated in March.
“He's driving down the road again in the same cab,” Bartow told the publication. Mail. “I wasn't aware at all. They didn't ask me what I was comfortable with.”
The newspaper contacted the taxi driver, who said he was unaware of the lawsuit filed against him and the taxi company.
During the attempted interview, the driver, who spoke Arabic, called a friend to translate, but he declined to comment further. On his second attempt to comment, the taxi driver hung up when a reporter asked him if he was in the United States illegally.
The charges in Bartow's case are not bailable, a spokeswoman for the Manhattan district attorney said. Mailalso stating that the driver had no criminal record.
“Survivors deserve clear communication during prosecutions, and we have reached out to survivors to apologize for their failure to do so in this case,” the spokeswoman added.
Co-author Lowell Coffiel is a New York Times bestselling author. House of Secrets and nine other crime and non-fiction novels. See lowellcauffiel.com for more.
