A man who claims to resemble Keanu Reeves has been jailed for drugging, raping and filming the abuse of his three victims after meeting them online.
Ubaldo Manuali, a 59-year-old street cleaner from Rome, Italy, was convicted of aggravated sexual violence and the unlawful dissemination of sexually explicit images or videos, per the Daily Mail. He was sent to prison for nine years and 10 months.
Investigations revealed that, before committing the crimes, Manuali persuaded three women he had contacted on social media to meet up with him in person. He had six different social media accounts, on which he boasted about his resemblance to the Hollywood actor.
After the women met with Manuali he would find a way to give them sleeping pills without their knowledge. Once they had lost consciousness, they were sexually assaulted and the abuse was captured on camera and he shared the content with his friends. The crimes took place between September 2022 and January 2023 in Capranica, Mazzano Romano and Alatri in Italy.
A photo of Ubaldo Manuali from Viterbo Today. He has been jailed for drugging, raping and filming the abuse of his three victims after meeting them online.
Viterbo Today
All of Manuali’s laptops and cell phones were seized by investigators, who discovered that he had retained all of the communications exchanged with the women, as well as the pictures and videos that had been taken without their consent.
“This type of violence is more serious than physical violence, it is more subtle because it takes advantage of the psychophysical disability of women,” prosecutor Michele Adragna said. “It is as if it were a double violence. And Manuali is blinded by the sexual result, by his satisfaction.”
One of Manuali’s victims made a report in January after she woke up confused and dazed following a night with him. The local authorities then began an investigation.
Photos and videos of Manuali abusing the woman, who appeared semi-conscious, were found on his phone. From there, investigators were able to locate and contact the other two victims.
Following their ordeals, the three victims—from Capranica, Alatri and Mazzano Romano—will receive compensation totaling about $29,000.
According to Need to Know, at least seven women reported Manuali to the police, including a mother and daughter. The publication also states that at the time of his trial, Manuali was under house arrest.
“He had been sent to prison on remand but was granted home detention after being beaten up by some inmates,” the article says.
