This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2013, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
A personal trainer is charged in 3rd District Court in Salt Lake County with sexually assaulting his teenage client for several months.
Benjamin JD Mora, 27, of American Fork, was arraigned Tuesday on three counts of object rape, four counts of forcible sodomy and four counts of forcible sexual abuse.
His alleged victim, a girl who was 15 at the time, started texting and chatting with Mora, according to the charges. Mora held a position of special trust with the girl as her personal coach, said Salt Lake City Police Detective Veronica Montoya.
Investigators accuse Mora of meeting with the girl four times, from July to October of 2012, at locations in Salt Lake County and sexually assaulting her in his vehicle.
The victim has since turned 16.
Mora was booked into Salt Lake County jail, where he was being held Wednesday in lieu of $150,000 bail.
Mora's object rape and forcible sodomy charges are first-degree felonies carry maximum sentences of life in prison. If convicted on the forcible sexual abuse charges, he could face up to 15 years for each count.
Aside from an illegal apartment accessory conviction in 2009, Mora has no criminal history according to a search of Utah court records.
His next court appearance is scheduled for Feb. 15.
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