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Police hail the bravery of the victim who was forced to negotiate his release while held at gunpoint and tied naked to a motel bed.
A Bay Area man is facing over a decade in jail after he was convicted of attacking, robbing, and stranding a man he met on Grindr, the popular gay dating and hookup app.
Ronald Anthony Silveria, 27, was convicted of felony first-degree robbery, false imprisonment by violence or menace, and identity theft, as well as misdemeanor assault and false imprisonment charges for the Sept. 15, 2022, attack on an unnamed San Francisco man he met through Grindr.
“Mr. Silveria preyed on a man who was in a trusting, compromised, and vulnerable position,” San Francisco Assistant District Attorney Edward Mario said in a press release issued on Monday. “I thank the victim for his bravery in testifying and re-living traumatic life events. This conviction ensures accountability for Mr. Silveria’s actions and provides a measure of justice for the victim.”
Silveria and the unnamed man agreed to meet in Fremont after communicating on Grindr. Once in Fremont, the pair decided to take separate cars to San Francisco where the victim rented a room at the Civic Center Motor Inn on 9th and Harrison, reportedly at the behest of Silveria, Hoodline reported.
Once at the hotel, the victim undressed and was on the bed naked when Silveria produced a firearm. He tied the victim to the bed and searched through his belongings, then repeatedly struck the man while demanding the passwords to his banking apps.
The victim eventually negotiated his release in exchange for his promise to withdraw $400 from an ATM. Silveria forced the victim to wipe down the room to remove fingerprints before allowing him to dress and drive the pair to a nearby ATM. Following the withdrawal and exchange, however, Silveria refused to release the man and instead forced him to drive across the Bay Bridge. Silveria abandoned the victim in Emeryville at 4:30 a.m. before driving off with his wallet and identification, phone, and electronics.
At a nearby restaurant, the victim was able to locate a “good Samaritan” who gave him a ride back to his home in San Francisco. The victim subsequently reported the crime to police who opened an investigation.
Despite his attempts to clean the room, Silveria was identified by DNA left both in the room and on the restraints used to bind the victim, as well as via the motel’s security camera video footage. He was arrested in Fremont on Nov. 29, 2022.
“The jury’s verdict holds Mr. Silveria accountable for his despicable crimes,” San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins said in a press release. “My office will always stand with victims of crime and work to ensure there are consequences for criminal behavior.”
Silveria will be sentenced on May 22 and faces up to 12 years in prison if he receives the maximum sentences on all convictions and the sentences run consecutively.
