Accusers appear in public to criticize AG's decision not to charge ex-Windsor Mayor Dominic Foppoli

Apr. 13—Standing beneath the portico of the Santa Rosa courthouse where their civil lawsuits against Dominic Foppoli are set to go forward next year, women who have accused him of sexual assault criticized legal authorities for not filing criminal charges against the former Windsor mayor.

"We are shocked that even with the large number of women from all over the globe who have come forward, that this is still not considered enough for a criminal conviction," a woman identified as Jane Doe 3 said in a brief public appearance Saturday. "We are horrified at the prospect of waiting for the next victim, who may or may not have the courage to come forward."

She spoke at a press conference organized by attorneys representing her and other women who have accused Foppoli, once a political up-and-comer in North Bay politics, of a litany of crimes.

The California Attorney General's Office at the end of March said it did not have enough evidence to charge Foppoli, who was first accused nearly three years ago of sexually assaulting multiple women. That marked, for now, the end of the last publicly known ongoing criminal investigation into the 41-year-old scion of a prominent wine industry family.

Noting that April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month, Traci Carrillo, the Santa Rosa attorney representing the women, said the event was a platform to say to the women, "We believe in you, we believe in you, we will fight for you."

The investigation remains open, said the Attorney General's Office, which urged anyone else who believes they were a victim or has evidence to come forward.

Four of Foppoli's accusers appeared at the press conference, held at the Sonoma County Civil and Family Law Courthouse on Cleveland Avenue.

Three of the women were identified only as Jane Does. The fourth, reality TV star and social media influencer Farrah Abraham, had already disclosed her identity. Recorded and submitted statements from two other Jane Does were also played and read.

Speaking to more than 50 people who braved cold and the threat of rain to show their support, Abraham, who frequently choked back tears, said, "How many rape victims does it take to get a rapist criminally charged?"

She has said Foppoli drugged and raped her in March 2021 at the Palm Beach, Florida, home of a friend of his. On Saturday, Abraham said she has since suffered from suicidal thoughts and chronic pain.

"Rapists belong in prison, not country clubs or expensive Italian villas," she said, a reference to a 1,000-year-old castle in northern Italy that Foppoli owns and where he has spent much of his time since the accusations against him were made public.

On Saturday, before the press conference, Foppoli sent a Press Democrat reporter a statement in which he again denied the accusations, charged that the women were lying, and said he is "seriously considering filing a lawsuit against these false accusers for slander and defamation."

The statement contained no trace of the somewhat more chastened tone he had taken immediately after the Attorney General's decision was announced, when he wrote in a statement that he had come to realize "through prayer and reflection ... that especially in my younger years I was not an ideal partner."

Instead, on Saturday, Foppoli described the accusations against him as "a carefully planned political and financial attack trying to profit off the me too (sic) movement."

"What else is he going to say? He takes no accountability for anything he's done," said Carrillo, who is representing seven women in a civil lawsuit filed in April 2022 that accused Foppoli of using his "power, connections and alcohol to prey upon dozens of women in Sonoma County."

That suit also named Christopher Creek Winery, then owned by Foppoli and his brother, and the Santa Rosa affiliate of Active 20-30, which profited, the complaint said, from Foppoli "luring Plaintiffs to events held at or on behalf of" the two institutions.

"This is what abusers do. They point at their victims and they say they're crazy. They're coming after me for money, for politics, whatever it is," Carrillo said after the press conference. "Why in the world would 11 different women from different walks of life, different stages of life, come forward to open themselves up to talk about the most personal things that happened to them and put them out in the public like this."

Civil lawsuits — Foppoli faces at least three in Sonoma County — have a different standard of proof than criminal cases, requiring a "preponderance of evidence" to reach a guilty verdict, as opposed to the threshold of "beyond a reasonable doubt."

But Abraham's attorney, Spencer Kuvin, who was also at the press conference, said pursuing the civil cases against Foppoli could again open the door to a new investigation that could spur criminal charges.

"If during the civil discovery process ... we uncover additional information, will, of course, turn that over to the state attorney for additional reconsideration for prosecution," Kuvin said. "So while the two justice systems are indeed separate with different standards of proof, we utilize the civil justice system to assist, hopefully, in pursuing that prosecution in the criminal system."

Foppoli's accusers said the assault took place between 2002 and 2021, and often involved alcohol. Those women include an ex-girlfriend, guests at his winery, a fellow Windsor Town Council member, a fellow member of the Santa Rosa chapter of the Active 20-30 club and an 18-year-old from Montana.

Subsequent criminal investigations focused on Foppoli in California, Montana, Florida and Nevada. None have led to criminal charges.

You can reach Staff Writer Jeremy Hay at 707-387-2960 or jeremy.hay@pressdemocrat.com. On X (Twitter) @jeremyhay.

___

(c)2024 The Press Democrat (Santa Rosa, Calif.)

Visit The Press Democrat (Santa Rosa, Calif.) at www.pressdemocrat.com

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.