Why A California Mayor Stands Accused Of Sexual Assault By 9 Women — Including 'Teen Mom' Star Farrah Abraham
Allegations include drugging, sexual battery, and rape.
Getty Images/Radio.com Mayor of Windsor, California, Dominic Foppoli, 38, resigned from his position on Friday, May 21, after learning of a ninth sexual assault allegation brought against him by Farrah Abraham, star of reality shows "16 and Pregnant" and "Teen Mom."
Shortly after Abraham, 29, filed a police report in Palm Beach, Florida, on April 2, four women shared their stories of incidents involving Foppoli with the San Francisco Chronicle.
The Sonoma County sheriff's department and California's Attorney General's Office then launched a collaborative criminal investigation into allegations of sex crimes made against the now-former mayor.
What was California mayor Dominic Foppoli accused of by Farrah Abraham and at least 8 other women?
Based on Abraham's report, the Palm Beach Police Department is investigating Foppoli on suspicion of felony sexual battery.
In her statement to authorities, Foppoli stands accused of "using his 'hands/feet/teeth' as a weapon in an undated encounter at a single-family home in the wealthy Florida enclave."
The allegations from other women include various forms of sexual assault, abuse and misconduct.
The San Francisco Chronicle originally reported in April that four women alleged they had been assaulted by Foppoli over a 16-year-period, inspiring five more women to step forward.
The first alleged assault victim to come forward shared details of an incident that occurred in 2003 against an 18-year-old volunteer who worked on Foppoli's assembly campaign. The victim alleges that he pressured her to drink alcohol for the first time and raped her twice at a New Year's Eve house party after she'd told him she was waiting for marriage to have sex.
The second allegation comes from a woman who says she met Foppoli at a dance class in 2006. She says Foppoli attempted to have sex with her despite her objections after drinking at a nightclub, and that she locked herself in a bathroom to protect herself from him.
The third alleged assault occured in 2012, when a woman says she encountered Foppoli at an Active 20-30 civic club meeting in Reno, NV. She says he then "engaged in oral copulation with her" while she was too drunk to consent and nearly unconscious.
The fourth incident occurred in 2019, when a woman who was 21-years-old at the time says Foppoli forcibly kissed and groped her while she was working as an intern at a local winery.
None of those four women pursued legal action or contacted police after the alleged encounters, saying they were too ashamed of the incidents and at the time preferred to leave them in the past.
After they shared their stories, another four women came forward with the details of their own, Including one who says Foppoli sexually assaulted her "dozens of times" over the course of a three-year relationship beginning in 2001, when they were both 19.
Foppoli denies any wrong-doing.
Originally, Dominic Foppoli stood his ground and said that he would “not succumb to any pressure to resign my office.”
“Because I believe in a society where daughters and sons are safe and where sons and daughters are not cast out as predators based on unsubstantiated and one-sided claims of sexual wrongdoing, I am fighting back and will clear my name,” he said.
Following the allegations, Windsor residents filed paperwork in an attempt to remove him from his position, and after learning of Abraham's allegations, he finally decided to resign.
In his resignation letter, however, Foppoli doubled down, accusing Abraham of submitting her report after the Chronicle published the reports of the first four women.
"I have no doubt she is making these allegations in an attempt to leverage the situation to her advantage," he claimed.
This was disproven after People obtained the police reports and found that Abraham filed the report on April 2, six days before the initial article was published.
The Chronicle also reported that "Abraham filed her police report three days before Chronicle reporters first contacted Foppoli about their upcoming investigation."
Foppoli’s suggestion that Abraham made her police report because of the unfolding news story was “absurd and unsettling to my client,” Kuvin said.
"It should have happened immediately," tweeted state Sen. Mike McGuire. "He has brought incredible pain and trauma to so many women and dishonor to the town of Windsor."
Windsor held a special election to fill his seat, which town Councilwoman Rosa Reynoza won.
"It's just sad that it had to take another allegation for him to finally resign," she told the Democrat. "But I'm very glad that he's resigning and will save the town a lot of money from having to hold a recall election. I'm ready for our town to move forward and heal."
Farrah Abraham's attorney responded on her behalf.
Spencer Kuvin, Abraham’s attorney, spoke about the news to People Magazine.
"We are glad that the former mayor is starting to feel some of the repercussions of his actions. We are hopeful that the police finish their investigation and turn this matter over to the State Attorney's office so that Mr. Foppoli can be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law."
Kuvin has a history of tackling high-profile sexual assault cases.
He represented nine of Jeffrey Epstein’s victims in their cases in Florida, as well as Chloe Goins, who came forward with allegations against Bill Cosby.
"Victims of sexual assault have been silent too long,” says Kuvin. “We should applaud the women who are brave enough to stand up and demand justice."
The Windsor Town Council will officially acknowledge Foppoli’s resignation on June 2, its next scheduled meeting, where Councilwoman Reynoza will take his place.
His official page on their website has already been made inactivate.
If you or someone you know has been a victim of sexual abuse, text "STRENGTH" to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 to be connected to a certified crisis counselor.
Isaac Serna-Diez is a writer who focuses on entertainment and news, social justice and relationships.