(CN) — Authorities executed a raid Wednesday on the house of a former mayor of a Sonoma County bedroom community who was accused by multiple women of various degrees of sexual impropriety.
The Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office raided the home of Dominic Foppoli, former mayor of Windsor, as part of an ongoing investigation into sexual assault allegations levied by several women against the former wine country politician believed to have a bright future.
Detectives were seen carrying out various personal items in paper bags from Foppoli’s house in Windsor.
Juan Valencia, a spokesman for the sheriff’s office, told the San Francisco Chronicle that the detectives began the search at 8 a.m. and spent about two hours.
“We are able to share that we did take some items during the search warrant,” Valencia said.
Foppoli resigned in May after a Chronicle investigation found multiple women had encounters with the former mayor that ranged from inappropriate to outright sexual assault. Foppoli said his resignation was for the good of the city, but he continued to reiterate that he was not guilty of any of the allegations.
“I have always and will always maintain that I did not engage in any non-consensual sexual acts with any woman,” Foppoli wrote in a statement announcing his resignation. He resigned after yet another woman, a Florida resident, came forward with similar allegations. Foppoli denied sexually assaulting the woman and claimed she was trying to take advantage of the general allegations against him.
The California Attorney General’s Office is currently leading the investigation into the allegations against Foppoli.
One of the accusers is Esther Lemus, who also serves on the town council, and who reported Foppoli drugged and assaulted her on two occasions. Lemus also served as the Sonoma County deputy district attorney, which is why prosecutors have turned over the investigation to state officials.
The scandal began after an investigation into claims by four women accusing Follopi of forcible kissing and unwanted groping after nights of drinking, mostly at the mayor’s family winery.
Rose Fumoso says she was a 21-year-old intern at another winery when she met Follopi at a party at his winery. He asked to show her his car and instead drove her away to a secluded place, where he began kissing and groping her despite her protestations, Fumoso told the Chronicle.
Sophia Williams says she shared a cab home with Foppoli after a night of drinking and was surprised when the driver dropped them both off at Foppoli’s house. After promising her a separate bed, Foppoli jumped into bed with her and began groping her, Williams said. She escaped through a bathroom window and fled to a strange neighborhood, where she had a friend pick her up.
Allison Britton says Foppoli forced her to perform oral sex at a conference in Reno in 2012 after a night of drinking that reduced her to a semiconscious and inebriated state. She says she was too intoxicated to consent.
A 35-year-old woman who chose to remain anonymous says Foppoli raped her twice as they were breaking up when she was 18.
None of the women reported the incidents immediately after they occurred.
Follow @@MatthewCRenda
Subscribe to Closing Arguments
Sign up for new weekly newsletter Closing Arguments to get the latest about ongoing trials, major litigation and hot cases and rulings in courthouses around the U.S. and the world.
Additional Reads
-
-
Denver Nuggets superfan sues over banishment from games April 22, 2024