Portland court sentences Damani Anderson to 45 years for gunpoint rapes after online meetings

Sentence follows guilty plea in five Portland-area attacks

A Multnomah County judge has sentenced Damani Anderson to 45 years in prison after he admitted to a series of sexual assaults and related crimes committed against women and girls in Portland. The court also imposed 20 years of post-prison supervision and ordered Anderson to register as a sex offender.

The case centered on assaults investigators said followed a consistent pattern: Anderson contacted victims through social media or dating apps, arranged meetings in secluded locations and then used a firearm to threaten victims before committing sexual assaults. Court filings and statements made in court described victims being ordered to surrender phones and comply under threat of a loaded gun.

Timeline and investigation

Authorities arrested Anderson in August 2024 on rape and kidnapping charges. After that arrest, additional victims came forward, including a 13-year-old girl, expanding the scope of the investigation into multiple incidents spanning 2023 and 2024.

Investigators tied the allegations to five separate cases. The prosecution initially pursued more than 40 charges, reflecting multiple alleged offenses across the cases. The matter later moved toward resolution through a plea agreement.

Charges resolved by plea agreement

In late January 2026, Anderson pleaded guilty to 12 charges connected to the five cases. The guilty pleas included multiple counts of first-degree rape and first-degree kidnapping, along with charges tied to firearm use and robbery.

Prosecutors said the plea agreement reduced potential exposure compared with the maximum sentence associated with the most serious counts, while still producing a decades-long prison term. The 45-year sentence announced in court aligns with the prison term contemplated by that agreement.

Victim impact statements emphasized lasting harm

At sentencing, multiple victims addressed the court through impact statements describing long-term consequences of the assaults. Family members also spoke, describing the effects on survivors’ sense of safety and their relationships.

Statements to the court described the assaults as causing harm that survivors expect to carry for years, affecting daily life and future relationships.

Public safety implications and reporting

Law enforcement officials described the case as illustrating how online contact can be used to facilitate in-person violence, particularly when meetings are steered toward isolated locations. Authorities also urged other victims of sexual assault—whether connected to this case or unrelated—to report crimes, noting that additional reporting played a role in building the overall investigation and prosecution.

• Prison sentence: 45 years
• Post-prison supervision: 20 years
• Registration: required as a sex offender