MIAMI – A Miami club promoter was arrested Thursday on charges related to the sexual assaults of two women visiting the city to celebrate their birthdays in separate incidents over a two-year period, authorities confirmed Friday.
Recommended Videos
The first alleged victim, a woman who was 20 years old at the time of the incident, told police she was introduced to 34-year-old Devann Yao by a friend in July 2022, according to investigators.
Authorities said the woman, now 22, had traveled to Miami to celebrate her 20th birthday when he invited her to Mr. Jones, a popular Miami Beach lounge.
After consuming alcoholic beverages, police said the victim reportedly felt ill, and Yao escorted her outside and arranged an Uber to take her to his home.
Once there, the victim told detectives that she had fallen asleep, only to wake up with Yao already engaging in sexual acts without her consent, according to the report. The woman reportedly pushed him off, and he immediately stopped, authorities said.
In a separate incident reported two years later, Miami police said a 21-year-old woman from Maryland stated she met Yao at Coco Miami Lounge on July 17.
After consuming alcoholic beverages, she reportedly found herself at Yao’s residence without knowing how she had arrived, according to the arrest report.
The woman claimed Yao sexually assaulted her and covered her mouth when she screamed.
The woman said she woke up at his residence the next day and informed him she needed to return to her hotel to pack for her scheduled flight back to Maryland.
In a statement to police, the victim claimed that Yao ordered her an Uber to retrieve her belongings, expecting her to return to his residence, which she did when he sexually assaulted her a second time despite her repeated requests to leave, detectives confirmed.
The victim stated that she felt as though she were experiencing an “out-of-body experience” and suspected she may have been drugged, police wrote.
Upon returning to Maryland, authorities said she sought medical attention, completed a rape kit at Howard County General Hospital and later sought psychiatric treatment, citing feelings of self-harm related to the incident.
Investigators confirmed that Miami police officers apprehended Yao at his residence just before 2:30 p.m. Thursday and transported him to the MPD’s Special Victims Unit office, where he declined to speak with detectives after being read his Miranda rights.
Jail records show Yao is facing two counts of sexual battery on a victim 18 or older with no serious injury.
As of Friday, he remains at the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center on a magistrate hold, where his bond was listed as “to be set.”