An immigrant was sentenced to 291 years in prison after being convicted for raping seven women, some of whom he found on Muslim dating websites.St. Louis County Circuit Judge Ellen Ribaudo sentenced 30-year-old Yahya Maly to spend the rest of his life in the Missouri Department of Corrections.'I've been here 19 years, and I've never seen a sentence like this.'Maly expressed no remorse and continued to maintain his innocence while claiming that the case was a setup.Prosecutors said Maly used the name "John" to lure women to his apartment on Log Trail Drive in Ballwin, where he sexually assaulted them. The crimes began in February 2023 and continued for two years until February 2025 when he was arrested.The seven women Maly raped testified at trial, and two of them were present at his sentencing.One of the women said she was raped by Maly after he forced her into his apartment, and then later she returned to his apartment, where he raped her again, according to prosecutors.Another woman told prosecutors he forced her into numerous sexual acts while he kept her at his apartment for seven hours.One woman who was Muslim testified that he took her hijab without her consent and claimed she was his wife in order to rape her. He told her she needed to perform her "wifely duties" or risk going to hell."I was confused," she testified. "This felt like the weirdest misunderstanding ever."She claims that she was raped by Maly twice and decided to return a third time in order to kill him. He raped her a third time."Life felt like it was already over," she said.A jury recommended 319 years in prison for Maly, but the judge decided on a slightly shorter sentence."I've been here 19 years, and I've never seen a sentence like this," St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney Melissa Price Smith said after Maly was sentenced.Maly is an immigrant from Finland and became a naturalized U.S. citizen. He was studying at the Logan Chiropractic College when he was arrested.RELATED: 'You are an absolute monster': Teen sentenced to 35 years for 'sadistic and evil' serial rapes "I was actually thinking about not coming into it because of just putting my energy out there. Then I knew I had to be brave enough and then come out and actually be able to have this closure within this as well. So, it was very important for me," said one victim, who wished to remain anonymous."These women are no longer victims of Yahya Maly or anyone," Price Smith continued. "Justice has been served, and I am so proud of these amazing women."An attorney for the convicted rapist released a brief statement."Mr. Maly maintains a firm belief in his innocence and intends to appeal his conviction," he said in part.Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!
