appreciated. When Mr Rackauckas was overseeing the case, he incorrectly predicted that there could be as many as 1,000 victims. A Warner Bros. Deadline is a part of Penske Media Corporation. [4][5] Robicheaux was also accused of possessing two illegal, unregistered assault rifles, four other firearms, and several large-capacity magazines. One alleged victim told Ospino she was "exhausted" by the twists and turns in the case over the past three years, including the recent surprise decision by Orange County Superior Court Judge Steven Bromberg to recuse himself from the case. The facts have to be viewed in their totality. Since charges were filed in September 2018, the couples lives have been in shambles, their attorney Thomas M. Ferlauto 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]. They have both pleaded not guilty and have denied that anything that happened was not consensual. A $300-million (minimum) gondola to Dodger Stadium? The unusual move came after a prosecutor pointed out serious proof problems with the case, Spitzer said at the time. Grant Robicheaux - Married Wiki Bio 9:18 AM EST, Tue February 11, 2020, Rape charges against reality TV surgeon to be dropped. Get our latest storiesin the feed of your favorite networks. 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. 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. 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. Dr. Grant Robicheaux, 40, and Cerissa Riley, 34, will now face sexual assault charges involving two of the alleged victims. The request, however, was denied by Orange County Superior Court Judge Gregory Jones. Instead, Jones removed the district attorneys office from the case and ordered it be turned over to the California attorney generals office. 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. 2023 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. 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. [5][3] Later in 2020, the Attorney General of California took over prosecuting the case. The Times reviewed a redacted copy of the memo, which was filed in court Thursday. 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 . 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. 2023 Deadline Hollywood, LLC. Convoluted Case Against Reality Show Doctor, Girlfriend Continues Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information, prosecutors painted the couple as sexual predators. Robicheaux and Riley, a former schoolteacher, were initially charged in 2018 by Spitzers predecessor, Tony Rackauckas. A prosecutor told an Orange County Superior Court judge. 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. Robicheaux received his medical degree from Louisiana State University and completed his residency at University of California, Irvine Medical Center. 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. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Check for a confirmation email, and then you're all set with MyNewsLA.com! She joined the newspaper in 2013 as a reporter for the Daily Pilot, a Times Community News publication. 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 went to help the homeless, to give back to the community, Rileys ex-sister-in-law said. Grant Robicheaux Rape Case Sees Almost All Victims Dropped - BuzzFeed News She grew up in Orange County and got her start as an intern at the Orange County Register. 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. OC Judge Reduces Charges Against Newport Beach Surgeon, Girlfriend The memo and the internal divisions it highlights mark another twist in a case thats been embroiled in controversy for the last two years. However, there are a total of 13 accusers, some of whom could be used by prosecutors as further evidence of a pattern of behavior. 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. 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. 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. [1] The case gained international attention because Rackauckas implied that there were up to one thousand victims. The case was reassigned to the California Attorney General's Office last year after O.C. Dr. Grant Robicheaux and his girlfriend, Cerissa Riley, had their lives destroyed by the allegations, their lawyer said. 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. 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. 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. Well send you the latest headlines every morning and every weekday afternoon. The defense also argued the search warrant was stale, meaning it was sought too long after detectives responded to the claims of the women. Ospino also told attorneys that he wants to hold a preliminary hearing by the end of the year to determine whether the case, which has faced repeated delays, can proceed to trial. Grant Robicheaux, 40, and girlfriend Cerissa Riley, 34, were accused of drugging and sexually assaulting multiple women. 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.. Send us a tip using our annonymous form. Orange County Dist. His nationality is American. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. 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. Dr. Grant Robicheaux, 39, and Cerissa Riley, 32, of Newport Beach, appeared Friday in a taped interview on ABC's "Good Morning America." "I feel like I finally woke up from a bad nightmare . The charges had initially involved five victims. However, after considering Spitzer's request, in June of 2020 OC Superior Court Judge Gregory Jones announced that he would not dismiss the charges. 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. conduct a review of all the evidence collected in the case. The request, however, was denied last year by Orange County Superior Court Judge Gregory Jones. The net worth of Grant is still to get unfold yet. 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 May, prosecutors made a request to dramatically scale back the criminal case, . Judge scales back rape case against Newport Beach doctor and girlfriend We believe there may be many unidentified victims out there, Orange County District Attorney Tony Rackauckas said this week. 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. Newport Beach Hand Surgeon Rape Case Ruling Expected Next Week 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. 2021 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. The agency launched a probe into Kearns actions and, as part of that inquiry, investigators concluded the review Spitzer ordered had been lacking. Previously, he also appeared on an episode of the short-lived Bravo reality show Online Dating Rituals of the American Male in April 2014. The charges had initially involved five victims. Another woman in July 2017 told police she had been raped. 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 . Discovery Company. 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. Its completely unfair to the victims in this case.. Early life and education We want to hear from you! 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. Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in, Surgeon was at one time the subject of Bravo reality TV show focused on his dating escapades, Find your bookmarks in your Independent Premium section, under my profile. Both Riley and Robicheaux were freed on $100,000 bail, and return to court on Oct. 25 for an arraignment. [1], On October 2, 2016, a woman screamed for help and one of Robicheaux's neighbor called the Newport Beach Police Department. 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. The woman said she told the couple she was having her period, in an effort to prevent them from initiating sex, but Robicheaux had sex with her after her clothes were taken off and Riley filmed part of it, Fish wrote. 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. She told police someone was filming the incident. 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. City News Service contributed to this report. Prosecutors expect to move forward in doctor drug-rape case