CALIFORNIA BRIEFING / NEWPORT BEACH
A Newport Beach man who posted an advertisement on Craigslist for a “cottage by the ocean” room for rent is accused of sexually assaulting a woman who responded to the ad.
Corey Kamyar Katir, 48, has been charged with two felony counts of sexual battery by restraint and a felony count of false imprisonment by violence.
He faces up to five years in state prison if convicted.
Katir is free on $50,000 bail pending a Feb. 9 court hearing.
The woman, 24, responded to the Craigslist ad in September, and investigators say she was forced onto Katir’s bed and sexually assaulted.
Authorities believe there may be more victims.
Craigslist representatives say there isn’t enough staff to police the hundreds of thousands of mostly free ads posted on its website.
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