A former loss prevention officer at Rite Aid has been convicted of multiple sexual assault charges, including rape. On Thursday, Daniel Luis Cassinelli was found guilty by a judge on charges of first-degree rape, two counts of first-degree sodomy, and two counts of second-degree sexual abuse related to an incident that occurred on January 21, 2015.
At the time, Cassinelli was employed as a loss prevention officer at a downtown Portland Rite Aid when he accused a woman named Maryann Stott of shoplifting. He then took her to the store’s basement, where he assaulted her. Stott revealed that she was already struggling with personal challenges, including addiction, during the incident. “I did things in my addiction I’m not proud of, like shoplifting. I’m not going to try to hide it or deny it, because I knew it was wrong,” she stated.
Following the assault, Cassinelli led Stott to the surveillance room, claiming he had been monitoring her for some time. He instructed her not to disclose the assault to anyone, promising not to involve the police. Afterwards, Stott traveled to Beaverton and reported the rape to a transit officer. Police were able to identify Cassinelli through surveillance footage and discussions with store management. Stott was taken to a hospital for a sexual assault forensic exam and filed a police report.
Records from Rite Aid indicated that Cassinelli had previously detained Stott on two occasions and documented those incidents, but he failed to record the 2015 assault. The Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office noted that Cassinelli breached store policy by being alone with a woman in the office and neglecting to file a report. Although a rape kit was completed shortly after the incident, a lack of advanced forensic analysis meant there was no definitive evidence linking Cassinelli to the crime. The district attorney’s office stated that Stott eventually stepped back from the case, causing it to become inactive.
The investigation remained stagnant until October 2021, when retired Portland police investigator Matthew Irvine reopened it through the Sexual Assault Kit Initiative (SAKI) grant, which funded the testing of previously untested rape kits. This initiative ultimately led to Cassinelli’s indictment and trial. Additional funding allowed law enforcement to reach out to victims whose cases had not been resolved. “For a long time, I thought nothing was going to be brought up again,” Stott shared. “And then emotionally, like I said before, I was coping in ways that weren’t healthy in my addiction, just so I didn’t feel anything.”
Cassinelli was arrested in 2022 but released on bail shortly after. He remained free until his conviction on April 11. In 2024, the Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office reported that new forensic analysis on the rape kit revealed partial DNA evidence suggesting Cassinelli’s involvement. His sentencing is scheduled for July 11. Cassinelli now faces a mandatory minimum sentence of 100 months in prison.
