Second rape charge filed against man linked to Christian dating site

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A second rape charge has been filed against a 37-year-old Del Mar man already accused of raping a woman he met on the ChristianMingle.com dating website.

Sean Banks of Del Mar was arrested Feb. 11 and charged with rape, burglary and penetration by force involving a woman in the San Diego suburb of La Mesa, according to court records.

On Friday, a second rape charge was added, alleging that Banks raped a woman in 2009. He was also charged with attempting to intimidate a witness. Banks has denied those charges.

Banks, a computer technician, worked in various locations across the United States. Police said they are investigating whether he may have lured other victims through ChristianMingle and other websites, possibly using pseudonyms, including Rylan Butterwood and Rylan Harbough.

In the La Mesa case, he used the name Rarity, police said. The most recent alleged attack occurred in November in the woman’s home the first time the two met in person after carrying on conversations over the Internet, police said.

The 2009 attack allegedly occurred after Banks and the victim had been drinking, according to court documents. How he allegedly met the woman is unclear, the papers said.

Beverly Hills-based ChristianMingle is cooperating with the investigation, police said.

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