Commonwealth v. Benjamin Louis Young; Man Convicted of Sexually Assaulting Former Employee

Colin D. Stolle, Commonwealth’s Attorney for the city of Virginia Beach, announced that Benjamin Louis Young, age 44, formerly of the 2200 block of Vadito Way in Virginia Beach, Virginia was found guilty by a jury on charges of Forcible Sodomy and Object Sexual Penetration. Circuit Court Judge Afshin Farashahi, who presided over the three-day jury trial, will sentence Young on September 9, 2024.

The Commonwealth’s evidence proved that in August 2022, Benjamin Louis Young hired the 19-year-old victim to work for his HVAC company, Hybrid Air.  The victim was known to Young from her previous job at golf and yacht club, where Young had golfed frequently.   Young’s company was in financial trouble; therefore, Young fired the victim within days of her time at Hybrid Air.  He told her she could come in to pick up her check a few days later, and she did so on August 16, 2022.  Prior to her arrival, Young retrieved her paycheck from the receptionist window in the lobby and took it to his office.

When the victim arrived, Young brought her into his office to talk.  After some small talk about the gym and body building, Young asked her if he could massage her leg.  After massaging her leg and upper thigh, he sexually assaulted her.  She attempted to leave but the door was locked using a key code and Young placed himself between her and the door.  He told her, “We should keep this between us” before opening the door to the lobby and following her out to her car.  

Less than two minutes after leaving the lobby, the victim called a friend and reported the assault.  She also immediately reported it to her stepfather, who is a police officer, and her mother.  She went to the Virginia Beach Detective Bureau to make a report and then underwent a Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) exam.  Samples were taken from her body and submitted to the Department of Forensic Science for analysis, and Young’s DNA was a match to the samples taken from the victim’s body. 

Assistant Commonwealth’s Attorneys Katharine D. Aicher and David R. Talmage prosecuted this case. Please contact Macie Allen if additional information is desired.