Suspected Serial Dating App Rapist Arrested; Police Seek Additional Survivors

Suspected Serial Dating App Rapist Arrested; Police Seek Additional Survivors

Feb 22, 2023

A man suspected of committing a series of sexual assaults dating back to 2017 was arrested in the Village Green neighborhood near Baldwin Hills, according to a report from NBC Los Angeles.

Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) officials believe Benjamin Parke Belser, 36, is responsible for a number of sex crimes committed in the Southland area, including:

• Rape
• Forced sodomy
• Forced oral copulation
• Sexual penetration with a foreign object

Detectives served a search warrant at Belser’s home and recovered extensive evidence supporting their investigation, according to a report from Fox 11. LAPD officials say they are still searching for additional information that could connect him to unreported crimes.

Police indicated that Belser would lure women through social media and online dating apps and then use elaborate ruses to conceal his true identity. He was taken into custody February 4 by officers from the LAPD’s Special Assault Section (SAS) and charged with a dozen felony counts related to alleged attacks which occurred throughout various Los Angeles neighborhoods:

• Downtown
• Koreatown
• West Los Angeles

“Beginning in at least 2017, [Belser] began contacting women online,” Los Angeles Police said in a statement.

“The sexual assaults continued until at least 2022, when [LAPD detectives] began their investigation against Belser,” law enforcement officials added.

Police stated that Belser used a number of aliases to avoid detection and that witnesses described him as having a “distinctive body odor.”

Police provided the following description of the suspect:

• White male
• 6 feet, 5 inches tall
• Approximately 170 pounds
• Brown hair and hazel eyes

The Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office confirmed that Belser remains in custody with bail set at $6.2 million.

Investigators have identified five women whom they believe Belser sexually assaulted. LAPD authorities indicated that there may be additional survivors who have yet to come forward.

“Cases like this are especially heartbreaking because people are often reluctant to report sex crimes because they’re embarrassed,” Detective Asia Hodge, the SAS’s officer in charge, said in a press release. “But if these many survivors are already speaking out, we think there may be more people who are waiting to speak up. We need their help to hold him accountable.”

LAPD detectives are urging anyone with information related to a sexual assault committed by Benjamin Parke Belser to contact the department’s Operations-West Bureau, Special Assault Section, at 213-473-0447.

If you wish to remain anonymous, please contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477) or at www.lacrimestoppers.org.

Los Angeles-Area Sexual Assaults Involving Online Dating Apps

The Benjamin Parke Belser case is one of several examples of sexual violence allegedly committed against Los Angeles-area women via online dating apps.

In November 2022, an Orange County man was arrested in connection with multiple rapes and sexual assaults which were allegedly committed after luring women through dating websites.

Deep Ketan Vora, 30, of Trabuco Canyon was charged with sexually assaulting three women he had met via a dating website between September 2021 and September 2022.

In November, the Orange County District Attorney’s Office announced the following charges against Vora:

• Two counts of rape
• Three counts of sexual penetration by foreign object
• One count of false imprisonment
• One count of attempted kidnapping to commit a sex offense
• One count of forcible oral copulation
• One count of assault with the intent to commit a sex offense
• One count of sexual battery

All of the above listed charges are felonies. Vora faces a maximum sentence of 137 years and four months to life if convicted on all counts.

How to File a California Sexual Assault Civil Lawsuit

Sexual assault survivors have rights under California law. One option that survivors may wish to pursue includes filing a civil lawsuit in an effort to recover much-needed financial compensation for various types of damages:

• Pain and suffering
• Counseling or therapy expenses (past and future)
• Hospital expenses
• Medical care/treatment expenses (past and future)
• Lost wages/reduced future earning capacity
• Diminished quality of life
• Punitive damages
• Emotional trauma
• Psychological harm

Under a new California law – AB 2777 – all adult survivors of sexual assault currently have a three-year window to file claims that would otherwise be barred due to an expired statute of limitations.

California AB 2777 offers survivors an unprecedented opportunity at securing justice for past crimes, and claims may be filed through December 31, 2026. To speak with one of Dordulian Law Group’s Los Angeles sexual assault attorneys for a free consultation, contact us today via 866-GO-SEE-SAM.

Our Sexual Assault Justice Experts are here to help survivors secure justice. Contact our top-rated attorneys online or by phone for a free consultation today.

Dordulian Law Group (DLG) is a leading California sexual assault and abuse firm. DLG’s founder and president is former sex crimes prosecutor and member of RAINN’s National Leadership Council, Sam Dordulian. For over 25 years, Dordulian has dedicated his career to fighting for justice on behalf of sexual assault survivors. With more than $100,000,000.00 in settlements and verdicts obtained on behalf of clients as well as over 100 jury trial victories, Dordulian gives you the level of expertise and skill you need when pursuing a case against your perpetrator.

For more information on California AB 2777’s limited window affording survivors the option to file civil claims for financial damages, please click here.