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. [1] On September 6, 2018, the Newport Beach Police turned the investigation over to the Orange County District Attorney's Office. Whoops! Both Robicheaux and Riley have previously pleaded not guilty to the charges and remain free on bail. Orange County Dist. ), First published on August 26, 2021 / 11:22 AM. 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. The move means Dr. Grant Robicheaux, who starred on an episode of the 2014 Bravo reality show Online Dating Rituals of the American Male, and Cerissa Riley are now facing charges involving only two alleged victims. This is not Cerissa, Sheryl Woodruff, Rileys former mother-in-law said. Instead, Jones removed the district attorneys office from the case and ordered it be turned over to the California attorney generals office. The two saw each other just six months ago, when the young woman was acting in a play. 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.. O.C. The unusual move came after a prosecutor pointed out serious proof problems with the case, Spitzer said at the time. It was never a question, Robicheaux said. She used charm and good looks to disarm women, get them intoxicated, and then rape them at Robicheauxs apartment. The woman said the drugs felt different than any of the drugs she commonly used, according to the judge. The then-district attorney admitted that media attention would help his re-election but denied making any decisions based on his political aspirations. Early life and education Previously, he also appeared on an episode of the short-lived Bravo reality show Online Dating Rituals of the American Male in April 2014. We want to hear from you! She was a member of the Associated Students Board at their high schoolan important job, the daughter said, because she was entrusted with overseeing a part of the schools budget. Robicheaux was charged with sexually assaulting seven women, while Riley was charged with five. The defendants actions of facilitating the victims excessive consumption of alcohol and drugs to ultimately prevent her from possessing the ability to resist sexual intercourse was the underlying motivation for their behavior, state prosecutors wrote in their motion. 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.. 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. He along with his girlfriend, Cerissa Riley has been charged with drugging and then sexually assaulting two women. Since charges were filed in September 2018, the couples lives have been in shambles, their attorney Thomas M. Ferlauto said. She ran to the bathroom and locked herself inside until the morning. I feel like I finally woke up from a bad nightmare, Riley told ABCs Good Morning America in an interview that aired Friday. After the request was granted, only the charges stemming from two alleged victims are still intact. [1] She says that Robicheaux and Riley then brought her to Robicheauxs apartment and began sexually assaulting her. It took us a year of planning.. Dr. Grant Robicheaux and girlfriend Cerissa Riley, pictured in October 2018, were charged with drugging and raping multiple women. [5] Spitzer believed that Rackauckas had used the case to gain positive media attention before the election for district attorney and stated he would move to have all charges filed by Rackauckas against Robicheaux and Riley dropped. If they were convicted of the charges, Dr. Robicheaux faces up to 40 years in prison. Clint McCall to Chief Paul M. Walters, who leads the investigative bureau at the district attorneys office. His workplace is just 45 miles south of Los Angeles at Newport Beach. 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. New DA says he wants to drop charges against Robicheaux and Riley. The defense also argued the search warrant was stale, meaning it was sought too long after detectives responded to the claims of the women. The new charges will involve downsizing the cases to at least two alleged victims. Both had denied any wrong doing. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. His ethnicity is White. Certainly, any prosecutor should think long and hard before dismissing such a case where multiple women have independently come forward and subjected themselves to the hard process of (baring) their souls to the authorities.. Signup for Breaking News Alerts & Newsletters. Edds said in a statement Thursday that the office has been cooperative with the state attorney general and has turned over all discovery in their possession. The charges had initially involved five victims. Prosecutors say a California dance instructor was one half of a serial date-rape team who would make targets feel comfortable and safe and then help her doctor boyfriend drug and sexually assault them. Before that, Orange Coast Magazine named him a 2013 bachelor of the year. They have been aware of these accusations for a number of months, and each of them will formally deny the truth of these allegations at their first opportunity in court.. Spitzer, who had accused his predecessor of overreaching in the case to bolster his reelection campaign, sought to dismiss all charges against the couple. EARLIER: State prosecutors moved on Friday to dismiss several rape charges against Dr. Grant Robicheaux, who starred on an episode of the 2014 Bravo reality show Online Dating Rituals of the American Male. After Riley and Dr. Grant Robicheaux, an orthopedic surgeon who starred briefly on The Online Dating Rituals of the American Male, were charged with attacking two women, others came forward with similar allegations. Thats unlikely to improve anyones mental health, Opinion: Why my Taiwanese American identity has become more complicated, 7 hospitalized after driver in stolen car runs red light in San Bernardino, police say, Barstow police investigating after officer caught on video hitting man with a baton, Northern California town on edge after second fatal stabbing in a week. [5][3] Later in 2020, the Attorney General of California took over prosecuting the case. Grant Robicheaux, left, and Cerissa Riley, the Newport Beach doctor and his girlfriend accused of drugging and raping multiple women, arrive at Orange County Superior Court Harbor Justice Center . Your email address will not be published. Subscribe to Deadline Breaking News Alerts and keep your inbox happy. [1] The woman stated that she consumed large amounts of alcohol before they invited her to Robicheaux's residence for an afterparty, where they drugged, raped, and orally copulated her. City News Service , News Partner Posted Fri, Aug 20, 2021 . Defense attorney Philip Cohen, who is representing Robicheaux, declined to comment on the memo. [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. All allegations of non-consensual sex are unequivocally denied by Grant Robicheaux and his girlfriend Cerissa Riley, the attorneys said. Orange County District Attorney Todd Spitzer said the case against the couple was fueled by his predecessor, Tony Rackauckas, trying to gain support for his re-election campaign. Over three months, the 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 a four-year period. Dr. Grant Robicheaux and Cerissa Riley initially were charged with drugging and raping seven women. [3] Robicheaux was charged with sixteen felonies, including sexually assaulting seven women and Riley was charged with sexually assaulting five women. The criminal charges against the pair stem from two alleged incidents in 2016. 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. 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! I never made a single decision or statement about the case for any political motive, Rackauckas said in the statement to CNN last week. 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. [4] As of August 2021, Robicheaux was charged with sexually assaulting two women and Riley was charged with three alleged victims.[2][4][6]. The motion indicated that an independent review indicated that some allegations could not be proved beyond a reasonable doubt. 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. 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. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. A $300-million (minimum) gondola to Dodger Stadium? Prosecutors asked to dismiss 10 sex crime charges involving six of Robicheauxs seven accusers. City News Service contributed to this report. If convicted on all counts, Riley faces up to 30 years in state prison; Robicheaux could . In their free time, the group would head out to Huntington Beach or Los Angeles, Rileys former in-laws said, and start performing on the street. The high-profile case has been embroiled in controversy since it began two years ago when then-Orange County Dist. He earned his medical degree from Louisiana State University in 2007 and did his residency at UC Irvine Medical Center. Dr. Grant Robicheaux, 40, and Cerissa Riley, 34, will now face sexual assault charges involving two of the alleged victims. [1] Robicheaux and Riley were each released on a $100,000 bail. August 26, 2021 / 11:22 AM Your effort and contribution in providing this feedback is much There is no such thing as advanced consent., Fish added, In any event, the consent arguments made by the defense do not detract from the finding made by the magistrate. Things got weird fast, Opinion: California wants more psychiatric detentions. Officials also determined that Kearns should receive additional training on report writing. At the time, prosecutors painted the couple as sexual predators who used their good looks to prey on vulnerable women, drug them and take them back to their posh Newport Beach home to assault them. The request, however, was denied by Orange County Superior Court Judge Gregory Jones. Last month, Orange County Superior Court Judge Steven Bromberg dismissed charges related to allegations lodged by two of the seven women after they told prosecutors they had been dragged through the mud by the Orange County district attorneys office and no longer wanted to participate in the case. I texted her the other day, Woodruff said. [1], In 2018, Robicheaux and his girlfriend, Cerissa Riley, were charged with drugging and raping multiple women in Newport Beach, California. A previous motion indicated that an independent review indicated that some allegations could not be proved beyond a reasonable doubt. [1], In a September 2018 press conference, the Orange County District Attorney, Tony Rackauckas, stated that detectives had found a video of the sex acts with one of the victim. Grant Robicheaux and girlfriend Cerissa Riley are shown outside an Orange County courthouse in 2018. Things got weird fast, Opinion: California wants more psychiatric detentions. The woman said she was given another powdery substance by Robicheaux and felt paralyzed and fell asleep, and she reported what happened to police because she felt she was drugged, Fish wrote. Required fields are marked *. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Check for a confirmation email, and then you're all set with MyNewsLA.com! Sie knnen Ihre Einstellungen jederzeit ndern, indem Sie auf unseren Websites und Apps auf den Link Datenschutz-Dashboard klicken. But they insisted none of the women theyd had a sexual relationship with were too inebriated to consent. 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. 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. A woman purporting to be his girlfriend clearly played a significant role in disarming the victims, making them feel comfortable and safe.. She told police someone was filming the incident. CBS Los Angeles reported that Grant Robicheaux, who was once the subject of a Bravo reality show for his dating escapades, was originally accused by seven women of rape and sexual assault. I just feel terrible for the women who had the courage to come forward and give their evidence to the authorities in this case, the former DA said. conduct a review of all the evidence collected in the case. Matt Murphy, a former prosecutor in the district attorneys office who is representing four women who have accused Robicheaux and Riley of assaulting them, said Thursday that no one from the attorney generals office has reached out to the women. The unusual move came after a prosecutor pointed out serious proof problems with the case, Spitzer said at the time. That case was bolstered by new allegations that drugs were used in that attack. Rackauckas said he believed the womens complaints based on the evidence he had. Instead, Jones removed the district attorneys office from the case and ordered it be turned over to the California attorney generals office. 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. Rackauckas claimed investigators had about 1,000 of these videos on the suspects' phones. At one time, Robicheaux was charged with seven victims and Riley with five. In an another alleged incident in October 2016, a womans loud screams spurred neighbors to call 911. Send us a tip using our annonymous form. Robicheauxs girlfriend, Cerissa Riley, 34, was originally charged with five assaults. The poverty level is really bad out there. A Warner Bros. Prosecutors have reportedly interviewed at least 13 alleged victims. That woman said she met the defendants at a bar, and at some point she felt as if she blacked out at the bar and awoke later on the floor of the residence associated with the defendants and remembers a man hitting her in the face and someone else kicking her in the head, Fish wrote. This internal memo was not a legal review of the evidence against Grant Robicheaux and Cerissa Riley or their innocence or guilt, she said. Even though the prosecution and defense actually agree in this case, the judge isnt so certain. [4][5] Robicheaux was also accused of possessing two illegal, unregistered assault rifles, four other firearms, and several large-capacity magazines. [Riley] was literally sleeping in the street. The couple was living very happily before they were arrested. Both Riley and Robicheaux were freed on $100,000 bail, and return to court on Oct. 25 for an arraignment. 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. The investigators findings were outlined in a memo sent in July from Cmdr. 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 . The Newport Beach surgeon who once appeared on a cable-network reality show pleaded not guilty, along with his girlfriend, to charges of drugging and sexually assaulting multiple women in attacks that were allegedly recorded on cell phone video.Photo by Paul Bersebach/Digital First Media/Orange County Register via Getty Images). 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. 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 . 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. They have both pleaded not guilty and have denied that anything that happened was not consensual. 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. Why is Frank McCourt really pushing this? The net worth of Grant is still to get unfold yet. An Orange County Superior Court judge on Wednesday granted a. But former district attorney Rackauckas denied Spitzers claim that he used the case for political gain. UPDATE: A California physician who has been accused of drugging and assaulting two women is a graduate of Lafayette High School. 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. In May, prosecutors made a request to dramatically scale back the criminal case, . Hannah Fry is a Metro reporter covering Orange County for the Los Angeles Times. 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. The new charge would involve two women instead of the previous five. I cannot tell you if it is tens or hundreds, it is certainly more than tens." This site is protected by reCAPTCHA Enterprise and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. The charges had initially involved five victims. Grant Robicheaux and Ceriss Riley appear outside of court on Wendesday, October 17, 2018. drop charges against the California couple. Ospino indicated he intends to rule next week on the prosecutors request to pare down the charges. Deadline is a part of Penske Media Corporation. A woman, or any participant, can limit or withdraw his/her consent at any time, Fish wrote. Robicheaux and his girlfriend, Cerissa Riley, stood accused of multiple rapes in Newport Beach, Calif. By dismissing rape charges against them, prosecutors will concentrate on a 2017 sexual assault charge against the two. Robicheaux and Riley celebrated what seemed to be their imminent freedom on national TV last week. 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. Ultimately, they determined there was insufficient evidence. No matter what.. 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. 2. Police who responded to the scene found she seemed heavily intoxicated, and when they tried to question her again moments later, she did not remember the initial interview, Fish wrote. Originally Mr Robicheaux faced 16 felony charges from the victims, and Ms Riley faced five charges. In a daylong hearing last Thursday, Judge Frank Ospino heard arguments from attorneys for the alleged victims and defendants, as well as the prosecutors. She joined the newspaper in 2013 as a reporter for the Daily Pilot, a Times Community News publication. H-O-O-K, Woodruff explained, it meant to hook peopleto hook people on these little skits.. Dr. Grant Robicheaux, 40, and Cerissa Riley, 34, will now face sexual assault charges involving two of the alleged victims. CNN Sans & 2016 Cable News Network. 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. They agreed to meet in person at a Newport Beach restaurant, with Riley joining them and posing as a friend. 38-Years-Old, Grant Robicheaux is an orthopedic surgeon in Newport Beach, Calif. The judge also noted that a victim can be so intoxicated to the point where she cannot resist, where she cannot consent or where she cannot withdraw prior consent. And that gives hope to some of the couples accusers. If the judge decides to grant the prosecutors wishes, the state will move its focus to an incident that happened in April 2017. But the allegations against Cerissa Riley, 31, lodged this week in Orange County bewildered two people who have known her for years. In the early 2010s, Riley, who had a creative streak, joined Hook, a missionary performance group that put on short, religious skits. Later, at his home, she did more drugs with him, including ketamine, and when they attempted to have sex he could not do so, the judge wrote. 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. Robicheaux and Riley speak out after a prosecutor said he would drop charges. The same day, the Orange County district attorneys office made a motion to dismiss the case in front of Superior Court Judge Gregory Jones. Send it to The Daily Beasthere. "This case is a complete travesty," the woman told Ospino. [5] In June 2020, Orange County Superior Court Judge Gregory Jones refused to drop the charges against Robicheaux and Riley and said both Rackauckas and Spitzer had used the case against each other while campaigning. The district attorney says photos from the surgeons phone indicate there could be many more unidentified victims. Yearbooks from the school indicate Grant Robicheaux was a 1999 grad . Its completely unfair to the victims in this case.. I feel like I can breathe again.. By subscribing, I agree to the Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. The following month, Spitzer's office was removed from the case and replaced by the California AG. The top-to-bottom review of the case against Grant Robicheaux, 40, and Cerissa Riley, 33, ordered by Spitzer was "incomplete and contained inaccurate and misleading information," according to . A judge in Orange County, California, has approved a request to drop almost all counts against a surgeon and his girlfriend who have been accused of drugging and raping multiple women. 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. Also, the criminality addressed in this specific statute concentrates on the womans ability or capacity to give consent. And they said Riley played an important role. From . 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. Spitzer announced that his office would request that charges against Robicheaux and Riley be dismissed after a review of the case found a lack of evidence and a mishandling of the case by the previous DA. 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. / KCAL News. 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. There is also video evidence suggests that there could be hundreds of other women who may not realize they were victims. 9:18 AM EST, Tue February 11, 2020, Rape charges against reality TV surgeon to be dropped. 2023 Deadline Hollywood, LLC. 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. The couple has been charged with more than half a dozen crimes, including rape by the use of drugs, assault with intent to commit a sexual offense and possession of a controlled substance for sale. Atty. Get our latest storiesin the feed of your favorite networks. [1], On October 2, 2016, a woman screamed for help and one of Robicheaux's neighbor called the Newport Beach Police Department.
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