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AMERICAN FORK — A Provo restaurateur was sentenced to prison Tuesday for sexually assaulting two women after he posed as a doctor and recruited them to participate in a fake medical study.
Borzin Mottaghian, 36, maintained his innocence as 4th District Judge Robert Lunnen sentenced him to at least seven years and up to life in the Utah State Prison.
In December, a jury found Mottaghian guilty of two counts of object rape, a first-degree felony; two counts of forcible sexual abuse, a second-degree felony; and misdemeanor counts of sexual battery and attempted sexual battery.
Prosecutors said 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 what he called an “examination,” court documents say.
A onetime actor, he is not a doctor or engineer, however. The claim was “false and clearly a guise,” prosecutors said.
After one of the women told investigators she feared she had been deceived, an undercover officer made an appointment and he told her to undress. That’s when police arrested him.
Both women addressed the judge in a lengthy, emotional sentencing hearing on Tuesday, explaining the lasting effects of the assaults and trauma they continue to deal with.
Mottaghian’s prison sentence communicated that what he did “is something we can’t tolerate,” said deputy Utah County attorney Carl Hollan. “This is a huge success for these victims. I’m really happy for them. I hope they move on in their lives.”
Mottaghian, who owned Provo’s now-closed Cocoa and Coffee Company drink shop and the Persian restaurant Cafe on Fire, has previously identified himself as a U.S. Marine Corps veteran. He also played supporting roles in movies and television shows and made a short film, according to Internet Movie Database.
The judge ordered concurrent prison terms of five years and up to life for the felony convictions, meaning they will run at the same time. He sentenced Mottaghian to lesser, consecutive penalties for the remaining counts.
