4 Men Ordered to Trial on Rape Charges

Four San Fernando Valley men were ordered Wednesday to stand trial on criminal charges of drugging and raping an 18-year-old Simi Valley college student.

After a two-day preliminary hearing, Ventura County Superior Court Judge Donald Coleman found there was sufficient evidence to hold the men to answer charges of forcible gang rape, rape with the use of drugs and related allegations.

Coleman dismissed one count of robbery, agreeing with a defense lawyer that there was no evidence the defendants entered the woman’s home with the intent to rob it.

Brian Jafari, Yan Karim and Jeffrey Pineda, all 20, and Dejon Lee, 22, were ordered back to court Aug. 14. Jafari is from Studio City and the other three are from North Hollywood. If convicted, each could spend more than 40 years in state prison.

According to court testimony, Pineda knew the alleged victim and on Jan. 11 arrived with his three friends at the Simi Valley house where she rented a room. The woman let them into the house, where they drank some alcohol before going to her bedroom to watch television.

The woman testified that she quickly began to feel weak and blacked out as someone started to undress her.

She said she awoke 30 minutes later to find two men sexually assaulting her.

During the hearing, the woman said she never consented to taking drugs or having sex with the men.

According to testimony, a urine sample taken from the woman after the alleged rape tested positive for the drug Ecstasy. Police said six pills of the drug were found in a car in which the defendants were riding that night.

During the hearing, defense lawyers challenged the woman’s story and tried to show that the sex was consensual.

After Wednesday’s hearing, Los Angeles attorney Richard M. Sudar said statements by the woman have been inconsistent and raise issues about her credibility.

“I think she is going to have a very difficult time at trial,” said Sudar, who represents Lee. “Her story keeps changing.”

A relative of one of the defendants said after the hearing that they are innocent of the charges and will be exonerated at trial.

But Ventura County Senior Deputy Dist. Atty. David M. Lehr said the prosecution’s case is strong.

Lehr said he intends to try the men separately to use their statements to police against each other.

The defendants remain free on $250,000 bail each.