They went on dating apps looking for shared faith. He used their religion to trap them.

A Missouri man received a 291-year prison sentence on Tuesday for raping and sodomizing seven women he met online.

Trust is a fragile thing, especially when you are looking for love.

When someone uses your deepest beliefs to hurt you, the pain goes far beyond physical scars.

WHAT HAPPENE

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Yahya Maly, a 30-year-old student, lived in the suburbs of St. Louis, Missouri.

Between March 2023 and February 2025, he used online dating apps to meet women.

Many of his victims were Muslim women who wanted to meet partners of the same faith.

Some of the apps required users to promise to wait until marriage.

Maly used these religious beliefs to control the women.

Once they were at his home, he took off their head coverings without permission.

He told them they were now married and forced them to submit.

He told them they would go to hell if they did not obey him.

WHAT THE EVIDENCE SHOW

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• A judge sentenced Yahya Maly to 291 years in prison on Tuesday.
• The crimes involved seven victims over a span of two years.
• Maly was convicted of four counts of first-degree rape and eight counts of second-degree rape.
• He was also found guilty of five counts of first-degree sodomy.
• The jury found him not guilty on two counts of assault and two counts of kidnapping.

THE BIGGER QUESTIO

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How do we keep religious dating apps safe?

Many users join these platforms because they expect a safe space with people who share their values.

But bad people can use those same values as a weapon.

We must ask how these apps can verify their users to protect honest people.

THE OTHER SID

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The defense fought the charges in court, which led to Maly being cleared of the kidnapping and assault charges.

However, three of the victims gave brave and painful testimony about how he hurt them.

Given the convictions on 17 serious counts, the defense's arguments did not stand up against the evidence.

WHAT HAPPENS NO

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Maly will spend the rest of his life behind bars.

For the victims, the long trial is over, and some say they finally feel closure.

Yet, the fear remains for other victims who worry that police will not believe them if they report a crime.

WHAT WE STILL DON'T KNO

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• How did Maly bypass the safety rules on apps that require users to agree to religious standards?
• What can police departments do to make victims feel safe when reporting these crimes?
• Are there other victims who were too afraid to come forward?

SOURCE NOT

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This story is based on court records and reports from local news outlets in St. Louis.

All charges are allegations - Yahya Maly is presumed innocent until proven guilty.