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PROVO — A trial has been set for a Provo restaurateur accused of posing as a doctor to lure women for a fake medical study and then sexually assaulting them.
The four-day jury trial for 34-year-old Borzin Mottaghian was originally scheduled to begin in July but was postponed Tuesday until December.
Prosecutors say Mottaghian, the former owner of two Provo restaurants, posted a Craigslist ad offering women $200 to participate in anatomy research. He told one woman he was developing a new medical device and another that he was designing a tampon before having them undress from the waist down and performing an "examination," charges state.
But he is not a doctor or engineer, charges state, and the claim was "false and clearly a guise."
Mottaghian has pleaded not guilty to 12 counts of object rape and two counts of attempted object rape, first-degree felonies; two counts of forcible sexual abuse, a second-degree felony; and attempted sexual abuse, a third-degree felony.
One of the women told police she feared she had been deceived, investigators said. Mottagian was arrested when an undercover officer made an appointment and he told her to undress, charges state.
Mottaghian, who owned Provo's now-closed Cocoa and Coffee Company drink shop and Cafe On Fire Persian restaurant, has previously identified himself as a U.S. Marine Corps veteran. He also has played supporting roles in movies and television shows and made a short film, according to Internet Movie Database.
