Rackauckas said he believed the womens complaints based on the evidence he had. Back in September of 2018, Robicheaux and Riley were charged with 17 counts each, including rape by use of drugs, oral copulation by anesthesia, assault with intent to commit sexual offense and possession of a controlled substance for sale. In court filings prosecutors have alleged Kearns omitted pertinent information from reports she wrote about the case and claimed she led a whisper campaign to exaggerate evidence in favor of prosecution. Dr. Grant Robicheaux and his girlfriend, Cerissa Riley, had their lives " destroyed. View more / View fewer Facts of Grant Robicheaux. Instead, Jones removed the district attorneys office from the case and ordered it be turned over to the California attorney generals office. "O.C. Swingers" Is Your New Favorite Chill-Inducing Podcast Robicheaux was charged with sexually assaulting seven women, while Riley was charged with five. The review of the case by the D.A.s office came under scrutiny during a personnel investigation into a district attorney investigator, Jennifer Kearns. Even though the prosecution and defense actually agree in this case, the judge isnt so certain. The second defendant, being a female, is key, Rackaukas said. If convicted on all counts, Riley faces up to 30 years in state prison; Robicheaux could see up to 40. Riley gave the woman a drink and the trio went to a bedroom, where the woman blacked out and later woke up next to Robicheaux, Fish wrote. A Wealthy Surgeon Accused Of Drugging And Raping Women Is No Longer A woman, or any participant, can limit or withdraw his/her consent at any time, Fish wrote. Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies. Those shortcomings led prosecutors for Spitzer to make arguments in court for why the charges against the couple should be tossed out that contained numerous unsupported allegations, misstatements, untruths, and factually wrong conclusions, McCall wrote in the memo. The then-district attorney admitted that media attention would help his re-election but denied making any decisions based on his political aspirations. Dist. / KCAL News. The district attorney says photos from the surgeons phone indicate there could be many more unidentified victims. The couple have pleaded not guilty and denied any nonconsensual sex. Investigator sues Orange County DA, alleging sabotage in sex - KTLA They May Never Get Their Day In Court", "Judge scales back charges against Orange County doctor, girlfriend in sex assault case", "A Wealthy Surgeon Accused Of Drugging And Raping Women Is No Longer Facing Rape Charges", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Grant_Robicheaux&oldid=1151980723, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 27 April 2023, at 12:26. The net worth and salary of Grand is still hidden and will be published soon. Spitzer accused his predecessor, Rackauckas, of possible prosecutorial misconduct: sensationalizing the case and driving it forward as a publicity stunt to further his own re-election efforts. Robicheaux and Riley speak out after a prosecutor said he would drop charges. 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Woman describes Tinder terror date with charged California surgeon Robicheaux, who was featured in an episode of Bravos Online Dating Rituals of the American Male in 2014, had his medical license suspended and lost his job. They have both pleaded not guilty and have denied that anything that happened was not consensual. She joined the newspaper in 2013 as a reporter for the Daily Pilot, a Times Community News publication. City News Service , News Partner Posted Fri, Aug 20, 2021 . Todd Spitzer sought to dismiss rape charges against a Newport Beach surgeon and his girlfriend last year based on a review of evidence in the case that a team of senior investigators in his office later found to be flawed, according to an internal memo. [5][3] Later in 2020, the Attorney General of California took over prosecuting the case. Both Cerissa and Chad came from deeply religious Christian families, according to Woodruff. Atty. Grant is not married yet but he is in a relationship with his girlfriend, Cerissa Riley. Things got weird fast, Opinion: California wants more psychiatric detentions. [1] In 2013, Robicheaux was named "Orange County's Most Eligible Bachelor" by Orange Coast Magazine. Spitzer accused his predecessor of overreaching on the case to bolster his reelection campaign and moved to have the charges dropped. Also, the criminality addressed in this specific statute concentrates on the womans ability or capacity to give consent. Grant Robicheaux is an American surgeon who appeared on an episode of the 2014 Bravo reality show Online Dating Rituals of the American Male. Usually Hooks performances were local, but in the early 2010s Riley and her ex-husband made several missionary trips abroad to Budapest, Hungary. Fry most recently covered breaking news for The Times and was part of the team that was a 2020 Pulitzer finalist for its coverage of a boat fire that killed 34 people off the coast of Santa Barbara. 9:18 AM EST, Tue February 11, 2020, Rape charges against reality TV surgeon to be dropped. Originally Mr Robicheaux faced 16 felony charges from the victims, and Ms Riley faced five charges. She used charm and good looks to disarm women, get them intoxicated, and then rape them at Robicheaux's apartment. [3] Later, Rackauckas said that he had been misunderstood, that he did not mean to suggest there were up to one thousand victims, and that they were instead reviewing up to one thousand videos of possible victims. Why is Frank McCourt really pushing this? The couple were charged of assault with intent to commit a sexual offense. California Woman who accused Newport Beach doctor of rape asks judge not to dismiss charges Dr. Grant Robicheaux and his girlfriend, Cerissa Riley, who are charged with drugging and sexually. I feel like I finally woke up from a bad nightmare, Riley told ABCs Good Morning America in an interview that aired Friday. Both Robicheaux and Riley have previously pleaded not guilty to the charges and remain free on bail. The memo and the internal divisions it highlights mark another twist in a case thats been embroiled in controversy for the last two years. CNN First they were accused of drugging and raping women while recording their exploits on a cell phone. The Times reviewed a redacted copy of the memo, which was filed in court Thursday. The facts have to be viewed in their totality. No matter what.. Riverside County Firefighters Stop Forward Progress of Brush Fire in Thermal, Walk to End Genocide Held Sunday In Fairfax District, Asian Couple in Bel Air Terrorized in Home Invasion Robbery, Police Arrest 24 During DUI Checkpoint in Riverside, Coroner IDs Man Who Jumped or Fell From Freeway Overpass. Superior Court Judge Gregory Jones refused District Attorney Todd Spitzer's request to dismiss the case outright. They slept in these tents; they were camping; they would all sleep in those rooms with bunk bedshostels. Dr Grant Robicheaux, 38, was charged alongside his girlfriend Cerissa Laura Riley for allegedly drugging and raping two intoxicated women on Wednesday Orange County officials have said there. The new charge would involve two women instead of the previous five. By subscribing, I agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Four years later, the divorce has still not been finalized, but the split is amicable, and Riley remains very much a part of her family, Woodruff said. [4] As of August 2021, Robicheaux was charged with sexually assaulting two women and Riley was charged with three alleged victims.[2][4][6]. After the charges were dropped, Orange County Superior Court Judge Steven Bromberg recused himself from the case. Were trying to be cooperative, but Ive got to tell you nobody from the AGs office has talked to my clients, he said during the hearing. Ms. Riley could spend 30 years behind bars. She said that when she went to their home, she was so drunk she needed help to get inside and that she was given an unknown powder and pill by Robicheaux, which relaxed her and made her drowsy, Fish wrote. I told her, Youll always be my daughter-in-law. Fish noted that according to the police reports, illicit drugs were alleged to be at the residence in April of 2016 and again in July of 2017 and that Robicheaux himself said the home was used as a place to `party and sleep it off., One woman told police she met Robicheaux and Riley while drinking at a bar in Newport Beach and that despite being an experienced drinker, she became intoxicated beyond the level she expected given what she drank, according to the ruling. They also seized Robicheauxs phone and uncovered more than 1,000 videos of sexual encounters with women, some of whom may have been too intoxicated to consent. The details about of Grant is not published in the sites and will be updated soon on his body features. According to prosecutors, Mr Robicheaux and his girlfriend, Cerissa Riley, lured women into their lives, drugged them and raped them. They said the portrait authorities painted of Riley as a predator clashed with their memory of the choreographeran Evangelical Christian who went abroad to spread the word of God, performing street-corner skits to attract potential converts. A woman purporting to be his girlfriend clearly played a significant role in disarming the victims, making them feel comfortable and safe.. However, prosecutors told Judge Frank Ospino on Friday that they now intend to move forward with two of the original seven women whom Grant Robicheaux, 40, was accused of sexually assaulting. A $300-million (minimum) gondola to Dodger Stadium? But former district attorney Rackauckas denied Spitzers claim that he used the case for political gain. She said the investigators reached their conclusions about the case review while looking into alleged misconduct by a district attorneys office employee who was involved in the Robicheaux case and based their findings on a small part of the case review. American surgeon accused of sexual assault, Online Dating Rituals of the American Male, University of California, Irvine Medical Center, "Surgeon who appeared on reality TV dating show is accused of sexual assault and preying on drugged women", "Former Bravo Reality TV Star Surgeon Accused Of Drugging, Raping Women Gets Charges Reduced Update", "Six Women Said A Wealthy California Surgeon Raped Them. Weitere Informationen ber die Verwendung Ihrer personenbezogenen Daten finden Sie in unserer Datenschutzerklrung und unserer Cookie-Richtlinie. Get our latest storiesin the feed of your favorite networks. In a daylong hearing last Thursday, Judge Frank Ospino heard arguments from attorneys for the alleged victims and defendants, as well as the prosecutors. They were accused of drugging women they would meet at various Newport Beach venues and then taking them to their Newport Beach home to sexually assault them. 2021 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. Atty. The new charges will involve downsizing the cases to at least two alleged victims. Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window), Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window), OC Superior Court - Photo courtesy of the OC Courts' website. The charges had initially involved five victims. The criminal charges against the pair stem from two alleged incidents in 2016. According to the state attorney general's office, at least three victims said they no longer wanted to partake in the case because they were "dragged through the mud" but the Orange County district attorney's office. Grant Robicheaux is an American surgeon who appeared on an episode of the 2014 Bravo reality show Online Dating Rituals of the American Male. She joined the newspaper in 2013 as a reporter for the Daily Pilot, a Times Community News publication. Todd Spitzer announces in February that he plans to drop all charges against Newport Beach doctor Grant Robicheaux and his girlfriend, Cerissa Riley. [1] He is a board-certified orthopedic surgeon. Grant Robicheaux, left, and Cerissa Riley, the Newport Beach doctor and his girlfriend accused of drugging and raping multiple women, listen during a hearing in Orange County Superior Court on . However, there are a . The group later went to a bar, and prosecutors allege the alleged victims drinks were drugged. How Palm Springs ran out Black and Latino families to build a fantasy for rich, white people, 17 SoCal hiking trails that are blooming with wildflowers (but probably not for long! Grant Robicheaux, 40, and girlfriend Cerissa Riley, 34, were accused of drugging and sexually assaulting multiple women. Spitzer has ensured the attorney general has unrestricted access to all district attorney personnel to aid in its review of the case and to answer any questions or provide clarification, she said. It was never a question, Robicheaux said. His nationality is American. Over three months, prosecutors looked at thousands of photographs and videos that had been taken from the couples computers, hundreds of hours of audio recordings, thousands of pages of documents and tens of thousands of text messages between Robicheaux and Riley spanning four years. Six months later, police got a similar complaint after a woman who met the couple woke up in their apartment, and started to scream, prompting a neighbor who heard her cries to call 911, according to prosecutors. In April of that year, a woman identified in court papers only as Jane Doe 1, reported to Newport Beach Police that Riley and Robicheaux met her at a bar, invited her to a party, took her back to their apartment and forced her to participate in sexual acts when she was intoxicated beyond the ability to consent. In that incident, Robicheaux allegedly began chatting with the woman on a dating app. And they said Riley played an important role. The net worth of Grant is still to get unfold yet. Rackauckas claimed investigators had about 1,000 of these videos on the suspects' phones. He earned his medical degree from Louisiana State University in 2007 and did his residency at UC Irvine Medical Center. In January, police obtained a search warrant for the couples residence and found large quantities of illegal narcotics, including date-rape drugs, ecstasy, and cocaine, along with unregistered firearms, high quantity magazines, and some assault weapons, prosecutors said. She said a day before she had consensual sex with both defendants and that she went to a concert the next day with the doctor, and they both did cocaine, Fish wrote. Grant Robicheaux, a surgeon once locally dubbed "bachelor of the year" and whose dating escapades were featured on a Bravo reality show, was originally accused by seven women of crimes including rape and sexual assault. In the early 2010s, Riley, who had a creative streak, joined Hook, a missionary performance group that put on short, religious skits. He along with his girlfriend, Cerissa Riley has been charged with drugging and then sexually assaulting two women. Attorneys for Dr. Grant Robicheaux and Cerissa Riley argued that the warrant to search the residence at 202 44th St. for drugs and DNA should be quashed and anything found during the. DA Todd Spitzer held a shocking news conference in which he said that he had assigned new prosecutors to the case after he took office, and their review found no evidence of unconscious women being assaulted. 2023 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The case was reassigned to the California Attorney General's Office last year after O.C. If the judge decides to grant the prosecutors wishes, the state will move its focus to an incident that happened in April 2017. The judge said he would rule by April 3, CNN affiliate KTLA reported. We are conducting a very thorough and independent review of the case, Martinez said. New DA says he wants to drop charges against Robicheaux and Riley. Mr Spitzer, who was campaigning against Mr Rackauckas at the time, accused the district attorney of delaying the couple's arrest to drum up media coverage, which he alleged would help his opponent's campaign. She was a beautiful girl., Prosecutors said she and Robicheauxan orthopedic surgeon once named Orange Countys Most Eligible Bachelor, who used the alias InGoodHands on a Bravo series about online datingused their good looks to lure women back to their home.'. They went to help the homeless, to give back to the community, Rileys ex-sister-in-law said. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. The agency launched a probe into Kearns actions and, as part of that inquiry, investigators concluded the review Spitzer ordered had been lacking. Former Reality TV Star Surgeon Accused Of Rape Gets Charges - Deadline A judge in Orange County heard arguments from attorneys for the couple and for the alleged victims and prosecutors last week, after which one alleged victim said they were "exhausted" by the thought the case could take years to prosecute. Hannah Fry is a Metro reporter covering Orange County for the Los Angeles Times. Grant Robicheaux and girlfriend Cerissa Riley are shown outside an Orange County courthouse in 2018. Robicheaux and Riley, a former schoolteacher, were initially charged in 2018 by Spitzers predecessor, Tony Rackauckas. On January 9, 2018, police searched Robicheaux's home and found firearms and large quantities of illegal drugs, including the date rape drug gamma-Hydroxybutyric acid, MDMA, and cocaine. [1], On October 2, 2016, a woman screamed for help and one of Robicheaux's neighbor called the Newport Beach Police Department. In court filings, prosecutors have alleged that Kearns omitted pertinent information from reports she wrote about the case and claimed she led a whisper campaign to exaggerate evidence in favor of prosecution. However, in February of 2020, new O.C. The judge in the case had asked the state to file a brief explaining why it planned to dismiss certain charges before he made a decision. Grant Robicheaux and Cerissa Riley: California surgeon and his - CNN The charges had initially involved five victims. Dr. Grant Robicheaux and Cerissa Riley initially were charged with drugging and raping seven women. A prosecutor told an Orange County Superior Court judge. Grant Robicheaux - Wikipedia Prosecutors alleged that Robicheaux, often with the help of his girlfriend, Cerissa Riley, lured the women in, then drugged . In May, prosecutors made a request to dramatically scale back the criminal case, . CNNs Dakin Andone contributed to this report. The idea was to have something odd happening, so people who were down and out, like homeless people, would stop and they would have a chance to evangelize.. Judge scales back rape case against Newport Beach doctor and girlfriend Whoops! Deadline is a part of Penske Media Corporation. Bei der Nutzung unserer Websites und Apps verwenden wir, unsere Websites und Apps fr Sie bereitzustellen, Nutzer zu authentifizieren, Sicherheitsmanahmen anzuwenden und Spam und Missbrauch zu verhindern, und, Ihre Nutzung unserer Websites und Apps zu messen, personalisierte Werbung und Inhalte auf der Grundlage von Interessenprofilen anzuzeigen, die Effektivitt von personalisierten Anzeigen und Inhalten zu messen, sowie, unsere Produkte und Dienstleistungen zu entwickeln und zu verbessern. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. [3] Robicheaux was charged with sixteen felonies, including sexually assaulting seven women and Riley was charged with sexually assaulting five women. Kimberly Edds, a spokeswoman for the district attorneys office, said the criticisms investigators voiced in the memo were not a denunciation of the entire review of the Robicheaux case. I never made a single decision or statement about the case for any political motive, Rackauckas said in the statement to CNN last week. The pair have both pleaded not guilty to the amended charges. The couple was living very happily before they were arrested. The motion indicated that an independent review indicated that some allegations could not be proved beyond a reasonable doubt. And that gives hope to some of the couples accusers. In 2019, shortly after Todd Spitzer took over as the countys top prosecutor, he assigned two deputy district attorneys to conduct a review of all the evidence collected in the case. The attorneys also focused on what they characterized as subsequent shifting opinions on probable cause by Detective Marie Gamble that came to light in a related civil suit that a defense attorney has used to gather more evidence to defend his clients in the criminal case. A judge approved a request on Thursday to drop most of the case against a man and his girlfriend who were accused of drugging and raping multiple women, paring it down to charges related to just two alleged victims.. Grant Robicheaux, a surgeon once locally dubbed "bachelor of the year" and whose dating escapades were featured on a Bravo reality show, was originally accused by seven women of . Former reality TV show doctor Grant Robicheaux and his girlfriend Cerissa Riley speak out about the charges that were dropped after an investigation by the n. AboutPressCopyrightContact. Then the case took a bizarre turn last week when a new prosecutor said he would drop charges against the California couple citing insufficient evidence and claiming the previous DA used the case for political gain. [4], In July 2021, a judge in the Orange County Superior Court dismissed charges related to two of the seven women who stated they no longer wanted to participate in the case and had been "dragged through the mud" by the Orange County District Attorney's office. If convicted on all counts, Riley faces up to 30 years in state prison; Robicheaux could . Both had denied any wrong doing. This is not the girl I know and have known since she and my son went to high school together., Woodruff first met Riley in the late 2000s, when she and her son, Chad, were in school together at Villa Park High School in Orange County. At one point the California Attorney General's Office took over the case from the Orange County District Attorney's Office after it determined that District Attorney Todd Spitzer and Tony Rackauckas, a political rival and his predecessor, used the case to further their own political ambitions. Prosecutors have reportedly interviewed at least 13 alleged victims. And, they would go for months at a time. In 2014, Rileys husband left her, leaving her broken, her ex-sister-in-law said, adding, She had to learn how to live without someone shes known for years.. appreciated. 2. State prosecutors told an Orange County Superior Court judge on Friday that they plan to move forward with a case against a Newport Beach surgeon and his girlfriend, centering it on sexual assault allegations lodged by two women. Over the past three years of the case, the lawsuit has been subject to political infighting between the former and current district attorney. Then something changed, Dating in L.A. is exhausting, so I asked a chatbot to flirt for me. Grant was born in California in the year 1976. My client believes in her heart of hearts that she was the victim of sexual assault, said attorney Michael Fell, who represents a woman known as Jane Doe #4. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA Enterprise and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Newport Beach surgeon Grant Robicheaux and his model girlfriend appeared in court for a preliminary hearing on Thursday after a judge recused himself from case as victims spoke about how they. The poverty level is really bad out there. The judge also ordered discovery to be turned over to the alleged victims attorneys so that we could evaluate the facts of the case, which, quite frankly, we havent had access to at this stage of the game, Fell said. [1] The District Attorney filed charges on September 11, 2018, and detectives arrested Robicheaux and Riley on September 12, 2018. Then, people would stop them on the street and ask, What are you doing? and they would get to talk to them about the word of God, Woodruff told the Daily Beast. The two were arrested at Dr. Robicheauxs home in Newport Beachon, southern California on September 12, 2018, and are accused of drugging, sexually assaulting and raping women. Prosecutors have reportedly interviewed at least 13 alleged victims. The request, however, was denied last year by Orange County Superior Court Judge Gregory Jones. She used charm and good looks to disarm women, get them intoxicated, and then rape them at Robicheauxs apartment. Over three months, prosecutors looked at thousands of photographs and videos that had been taken from the couple's computers, hundreds of hours of audio recordings, thousands of pages of documents. Attorneys for Dr. Grant Robicheaux and Cerissa Riley argued that the warrant to search the residence at 202 44th St. for drugs and DNA should be quashed and anything found during the resulting search be deemed inadmissible. Ospino indicated he intends to rule next week on the prosecutors request to pare down the charges. Prosecutors expect to move forward in doctor drug-rape case Another judge at the time said he would refuse to drop the charges, calling Mr Spitzer's decision "ludicrous" and questioning the district attorney's possible motives for the move. However, after considering Spitzer's request, in June of 2020 OC Superior Court Judge Gregory Jones announced that he would not dismiss the charges. UPDATE: An Orange County judge has approved a request by prosecutors to reduce charges against a Newport Beach hand surgeon and his girlfriend, who have been accused of drugging and raping multiple women. The investigators findings were outlined in a memo sent in July from Cmdr. Cerissa Riley, Arrested for Rapes With Dr. Grant Robicheaux, Was an His workplace is just 45 miles south of Los Angeles at Newport Beach. Robicheaux and Riley told Good Morning America they participated in a swingers lifestyle. Required fields are marked *. City News Service contributed to this report. Paul Bersebach/Orange County Register Via AP, Days Of Our Lives Star Victoria Grace Withdraws From Daytime Emmys Nominations After Huge Misunderstanding Regarding The Rules, Mike Shannon Dies: Emmy-Winning Broadcaster For St. Louis Cardinals Was 83, Legal Battle Over Guitarist Johnny Winters Music Heats Up, Stanley Tucci Talks About His Oral Cancer Battle: I Had A Feeding Tube For Six Months, Online Dating Rituals of the American Male, The Issues, The Stakes, Movies & TV Shows Affected, How Long It Might Last, Netflix Lands Adam McKays New Comedy Average Height, Average Build, Plumbs Another Domestic Win At $38M; Karting Past $1 Billion Global, Serious Moments For Media Give Way To Satire & Mirth; Biden & Wood Remarks. Tony Rackauckas filed charges against Robicheaux and Riley, painting them as sexual predators who used their good looks to prey on vulnerable women, drug them and take them back to their Newport Beach home to sexually assault them. Well send you the latest headlines every morning and every weekday afternoon. conduct a review of all the evidence collected in the case. At the same time, prosecutors asked to dismiss three firearms enhancements against Robicheaux and Riley and to reduce four felony charges of drug possession for sale to misdemeanors.

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