'Craigslist Rapist' Gets 36 Years
WOODSTOCK, Ill. (AP) -- A McHenry County judge on Thursday sentenced a Woodstock man to 36 years in prison for raping a woman he met on Craigslist and other websites.
Charles Oliver, 46, was accused of raping as many as eight women. In February he was convicted of sexually assaulting one woman. He later pleaded guilty to two additional sex charges and remaining charges against him were dropped.
McHenry County Judge Sharon Prather called Oliver a predator who abused vulnerable women when she handed down the sentence, The Northwest Herald reported.
Oliver was accused of raping women for several months beginning in late 2011, many of them prostitutes, who responded to his online ads for sex.
Oliver's attorney, Jeff Altman, said Oliver plans an appeal. During trial, defense attorneys argued sex between Oliver and the woman was consensual.
Oliver has been held in McHenry County Jail in lieu of $4 million bond since his arrest last year. He will be 74-years-old when he is eligible for parole.
(© 2014 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)