Whoops! Dr. Grant Robicheaux and Cerissa Riley initially were charged with drugging and raping seven women. We want to hear from you! Why is Frank McCourt really pushing this? Firefighters Discover Man's Body While Battling Apartment Fire in South L.A. Police Investigate No-Hit Shooting in Long Beach, Coroner Identifies Woman Found Dead Near Railroad Track in Carson, Proudly powered by Newspack by Automattic. Grant Robicheaux - Married Wiki Bio She grew up in Orange County and got her start as an intern at the Orange County Register. And that gives hope to some of the couples accusers. The unusual move came after a prosecutor pointed out serious proof problems with the case, Spitzer said at the time. Prosecutors claim Robicheaux and Riley administered drugs in order to engage in sexual intercourse with an incapacitated victim. They also allegedly gave the woman cocaine and PCP. Its completely unfair to the victims in this case.. Police say she helped her reality-TV star boyfriend drug and sexually assault women. 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. March 31, 2021 In her new Audiochuck podcast, O.C. Todd Spitzer announces in February that he plans to drop all charges against Newport Beach doctor Grant Robicheaux and his girlfriend, Cerissa Riley. / KCAL News. The couple have pleaded not guilty and have denied any nonconsensual sex. In May, prosecutors made a request to dramatically scale back the criminal case, . He along with his girlfriend, Cerissa Riley has been charged with drugging and then sexually assaulting two women. 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.. 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. OC Judge Reduces Charges Against Newport Beach Surgeon, Girlfriend More women say surgeon drugged and raped them. Subscribe to Deadline Breaking News Alerts and keep your inbox happy. The two were high school sweethearts and got married not long after graduation. [4] As of August 2021, Robicheaux was charged with sexually assaulting two women and Riley was charged with three alleged victims.[2][4][6]. Robicheaux was charged with sexually assaulting seven women, with Riley charged with five assaults. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. The judge said he would rule by April 3, CNN affiliate KTLA reported. [1] The woman immediately contacted the police the next morning to report that she had been assaulted and a subsequent test of her blood showed multiple controlled substances in her body. Prosecutors have reportedly interviewed at least 13 alleged victims. Grant Robicheaux is an American surgeon who appeared on an episode of the 2014 Bravo reality show Online Dating Rituals of the American Male. Deadline is a part of Penske Media Corporation. Julie Garland and Mary Katherine Strickland of the Attorney Generals Office told Orange County Superior Court Judge Frank Ospino Friday that they intend to file an amended complaint. They agreed to meet in person at a Newport Beach restaurant, with Riley joining them and posing as a friend. 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. 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. Wenn Sie Ihre Auswahl anpassen mchten, klicken Sie auf Datenschutzeinstellungen verwalten. Weitere Informationen ber die Verwendung Ihrer personenbezogenen Daten finden Sie in unserer Datenschutzerklrung und unserer Cookie-Richtlinie. Start your Independent Premium subscription today. However, there are a . Updated Dr. Grant Robicheaux and his girlfriend Cerissa Riley will return to court to see how charges will be amended in their drug and rape case. Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Prosecutors alleged that Robicheaux, often with the help of his girlfriend, Cerissa Riley, lured the women in, then drugged . The couple was living very happily before they were arrested. Ultimately, they determined there was insufficient evidence. Atty. 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. 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. Send it to The Daily Beasthere. 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. 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. But they insisted none of the women theyd had a sexual relationship with were too inebriated to consent. 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. UPDATE: Surgeon accused of multiple rapes is LHS grad - KATC They have both pleaded not guilty and have denied that anything that happened was not consensual. Orange County judge grants motion to dismiss charges for 2 alleged 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. 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. 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 case against Dr. Grant Robicheaux, 40, and Cerissa Riley, 34, has been reassigned to Orange County Superior Court Judge Frank Ospino, a former Orange County public defender, following the. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA Enterprise and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Sie knnen Ihre Einstellungen jederzeit ndern, indem Sie auf unseren Websites und Apps auf den Link Datenschutz-Dashboard klicken. [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. conduct a review of all the evidence collected in the case. Its hard for them to make these reports about things that were so very humiliating in the first place then have to relive the pain, he said. The investigators findings were outlined in a memo sent in July from Cmdr. The defense also argued the search warrant was stale, meaning it was sought too long after detectives responded to the claims of the women. [1] The police later stated that they had suspicions but we did not have positive identity at the time of the reports. Atty. If convicted on all counts, Riley faces up to 30 years in state prison; Robicheaux could . The same day, the Orange County district attorneys office made a motion to dismiss the case in front of Superior Court Judge Gregory Jones. 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 unusual move came after a prosecutor pointed out serious proof problems with the case, Spitzer said at the time. [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. 2023 Deadline Hollywood, LLC. Things got weird fast, Opinion: California wants more psychiatric detentions. The request, however, was denied by Orange County Superior Court Judge Gregory Jones. 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. A representative for the attorney generals office could not immediately be reached for further comment. City News Service , News Partner Posted Fri, Aug 20, 2021 . I told her, Youll always be my daughter-in-law. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information, prosecutors painted the couple as sexual predators. 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.'. In a daylong hearing last Thursday, Judge Frank Ospino heard arguments from attorneys for the alleged victims and defendants, as well as the prosecutors. Former Bravo Reality TV Star Surgeon Accused Of Drugging - Yahoo I didnt create this situation, but its my responsibility to fix it, Spitzer said. 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. From . 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. They also contended that no crime was committed to justify the warrant. We are conducting a very thorough and independent review of the case, Martinez said. [1] She says that Robicheaux and Riley then brought her to Robicheauxs apartment and began sexually assaulting her. "O.C. Swingers" Is Your New Favorite Chill-Inducing Podcast The case against the two began two years ago, withRobicheaux, 40, and Riley, 33, painted as sexual predators who preyed on vulnerable women. City News Service contributed to this report. Newport Beach Hand Surgeon Rape Case Ruling Expected Next Week EARLIER: Prosecutors said Friday that intend to go forward with a new complaint charging a former reality star and his girlfriend. 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. Both Riley and Robicheaux were freed on $100,000 bail, and return to court on Oct. 25 for an arraignment. 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. Both had denied any wrong doing. New DA says he wants to drop charges against Robicheaux and Riley. [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. 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. [4][5] Robicheaux was also accused of possessing two illegal, unregistered assault rifles, four other firearms, and several large-capacity magazines. The couple. Grant Robicheaux is an American surgeon who appeared on an episode of the 2014 Bravo reality show Online Dating Rituals of the American Male. Supervisor, defeated Rackauckas in the DA's race in November of 2018. The daughter, who had known Riley since they were in elementary school, described her as a top student always involved in extracurricular activities. State prosecutor says decision 'imminent' on high-profile Newport Beach Swingers, journalist Justine Harman reexamines the case of Newport Beach surgeon Grant Robicheaux and his girlfriend Cerissa Riley. 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 two saw each other just six months ago, when the young woman was acting in a play. Adam E. Chaikin, an attorney for the Assn. The facts have to be viewed in their totality. Dr. Grant Robicheaux and girlfriend Cerissa Riley, pictured in October 2018, were charged with drugging and raping multiple women. Prosecutors from the attorney generals office announced in May that they wanted to focus the case on just one woman. Both Riley and Robicheaux were freed on $100,000 bail, and return to court on Oct. 25 for an arraignment. Authorities said the couple may have attempted to assault women at several festivals and camp sites along the west coast, including the Burning Man Festival, Dirtybird Campout Festival, Splash House Festival, and various tourist landmarks around Page, Arizona. Paul Anderson of City News Service contributed to this report. The couple got involved in the congregation of Calvary Chapel Anaheim, a nondenominational church in Orange County, and often did outreach and missionary work in the local community. This is not Cerissa, Sheryl Woodruff, Rileys former mother-in-law said. [1] The case gained international attention because Rackauckas implied that there were up to one thousand victims. 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. The criminal charges against the pair stem from two alleged incidents in 2016. Murphy and others also criticized the decision by district attorney officials to bar Kearns from speaking to anyone from the attorney generals office about the case without a supervisor present. Superior Court Judge Gregory Jones refused District Attorney Todd Spitzer's request to dismiss the case outright. At the time, they said they didnt have enough evidence to prove allegations beyond a reasonable doubt related to the other women who have accused the couple of drugging and raping them. The group later went to a bar, and prosecutors allege the alleged victims drinks were drugged. 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. Previously, he also appeared on an episode of the short-lived Bravo reality show Online Dating Rituals of the American Male in April 2014. Even though the prosecution and defense actually agree in this case, the judge isnt so certain. Robicheaux and Riley told Good Morning America they participated in a swingers lifestyle. Still cant believe this happened to us, Robicheaux said. However, there are a total of 13 accusers, some of whom could be used by prosecutors as further evidence of a pattern of behavior. He cited the politics interjected into the case in a tense election between Spitzer and his predecessor, Tony Rackauckas. Internal memo criticizes O.C. district attorney's review of Robicheaux 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. But Riley and Robicheaux, an orthopedic surgeon and former reality TV show personality, arent guaranteed freedom. The new complaint would also reportedly modify drug charges in the case to more accurately reflect the allegations, they said. [1] Following the charges, the California Medical Board opened an investigation into Robicheaux's conduct. 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. August 26, 2021 / 11:22 AM Reduced Charges For Reality Doctor, Girlfriend: Newport Rape Case document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Check for a confirmation email, and then you're all set with MyNewsLA.com! 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 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. A $300-million (minimum) gondola to Dodger Stadium? Your email address will not be published. Discovery Company. Your effort and contribution in providing this feedback is much 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. D.A.'s office investigator Jennifer Kearns alleges in the lawsuit filed in Orange County Superior Court, that Spitzer colluded with Grant Robicheaux and Cerissa Riley's defense attorneys while. 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. At one time, Robicheaux was charged with harming seven victims and Riley with five. OC Judge Rejects Motion to Quash Search Warrant in Doctor Rape Case Ospino indicated he intends to rule next week on the prosecutors request to pare down the charges. 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. She used charm and good looks to disarm women, get them intoxicated, and then rape them at Robicheaux's apartment. O.C. Dr. Grant Robicheaux, 40, and Cerissa Riley, 34, will now face sexual assault charges involving two of the alleged victims. Grant is not married yet but he is in a relationship with his girlfriend, Cerissa Riley. The charges had initially involved five victims. In the early 2010s, Riley, who had a creative streak, joined Hook, a missionary performance group that put on short, religious skits. 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. 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. Judge scales back rape case against Newport Beach doctor and girlfriend Grant Robicheaux Rape Case Sees Almost All Victims Dropped - BuzzFeed News I texted her the other day, Woodruff said. Prosecutors ready to focus rape case against Orange County doctor His ethnicity is White. A Warner Bros. Weeks later, Bromberg recused himself from the case following allegations that he had mistreated defense attorneys and prosecutors during a heated court hearing. The woman said the drugs felt different than any of the drugs she commonly used, according to the judge. This internal memo was not a legal review of the evidence against Grant Robicheaux and Cerissa Riley or their innocence or guilt, she said. 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. Ultimately, they determined there was insufficient evidence to prove the case beyond a reasonable doubt. A $300-million (minimum) gondola to Dodger Stadium? 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. Language links are at the top of the page across from the title. 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 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 the memo.
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