Sandy man admits to sexually harassing three women he met through dating apps

SALT LAKE CITY – A Sandy man has pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting three women he met on dating apps.

Samuel Whitney Faber, 43, has been charged with three counts, a total of three counts of aggravated sexual assault and aggravated kidnapping, as well as eight counts of sexual abuse and aggravated assault in connection with attacks on three women since 2022.

On May 31, Faber entered into a plea deal to resolve all three counts. He pleaded guilty to the amended charges of rape and forcible sodomy, first-degree felonies, as well as aggravated sexual assault and two counts of forcible sexual abuse, third-degree felonies. When he is sentenced on August 21, he is expected to be sent to Utah State Prison to serve a term of five years to life, with many of his sentences to be served concurrently.

Before the agreement was signed, a victim who was not only physically assaulted but also raped by Faber told Third District Court Judge Richard McKelvie that she was not entering into the agreement because none of the amended charges required long prison sentences.

“I don’t necessarily object to the confession. I just want it to be clear that no amount of time will ever be enough. He strangled me and I had a stroke. And that affected my work, my children, my whole life and that will never go away. I will always have problems with that,” she told the judge through tears.

The woman said her foot was also broken in the attack. And she was so traumatized by the whole incident that she couldn’t even leave her bedroom for a long time out of fear.

“This has ruined my life… and I have to live with this forever. And no matter how much time passes, I can never make up for what happened to me. I will always be devastated. I’m doing this because I believe he will do this again. And I believe I have to save the next one,” she said. “I don’t want him to do it again, and that’s why I’m here.”

The woman met Faber in March 2022 through the dating app Mutual. After meeting at a restaurant, Faber began asking her “strange questions” and then pulled a gun from his pocket, charging documents state. He also jokingly talked about throwing her body in a ditch. Faber later attacked the woman both in his home and in his car.

The other two women Faber had victimized were also in the courtroom when he pleaded guilty. McKelvie says he didn’t mean to make light of the trauma they both suffered with the deal, and he praised the woman who spoke in court for her bravery, telling her he hoped she would at least consider the possibility of forgiveness in order to move on.

“In my experience, both as a judge and as a human being, the principle of forgiveness is incredibly powerful. And to be clear, I am not a religious person and I do not believe forgiveness is a religious principle. It is an opportunity that we all have when someone has wronged us and only through the miracle of forgiveness can we move past it,” McKelvie said.

Acceptance of Faber’s agreement was also McKelvie’s last official act as a state judge.

“This is literally the last thing I will do as a district judge. I am retiring today,” he said in the courtroom.

Faber will undergo a psychosexual evaluation before sentencing. McKelvie will return as chief judge and preside over the hearing.