Remember Dominic Foppoli? Over the past few years, the Healdsburg winery son and disgraced ex-mayor of Windsor has been accused by over a dozen women of leveraging his status to get them into situations where he could sexually assault and abuse them. But now, the California District Attorney has decided there’s not enough evidence to file any charges against him. This announcement last week “marked, for now, the conclusion of the last publicly known ongoing criminal investigation into Foppoli, the once-politically ascendant scion of a wealthy local wine family,” the Press Democrat reports. “The known criminal investigations, eventually, originated in four different states: California, Montana, Florida and Nevada. None of the investigations have resulted in criminal charges. Still, Foppoli must… contend with three active lawsuits filed in Sonoma County Superior Court: Seven anonymous women are accusing Foppoli of sexual assault, claiming he used his ‘power, connections and alcohol to prey on dozens of women in Sonoma County.’ Also named as defendants are his family-owned Christopher Creek Winery, and the Santa Rosa chapter of Active 20-30, which the lawsuit alleges profited from Foppoli, ‘luring Plaintiffs to events held at or on behalf of’ the two institutions, then failing to investigate reports of sexual assault, according to the complaint.” So he still has those civil suits to worry about. And while the D.A. won’t file charges for now, state prosecutors are emphasizing that the “investigation remains open” — and they’re encouraging anyone else “who believes they may be a victim or who has evidence to come forward.” Foppoli, for his part, tells the paper that “the presumption of guilt until today has destroyed the lives of me, my family and our businesses.” He adds: “This has been an incredibly difficult nearly 3 years for my family, my friends, people in my businesses, and for our town. Now is a time for us to learn from the experience and move forward together. I look forward to returning to my beloved Windsor and rebuilding broken relationships to make them stronger than ever.” The San Francisco Chronicle has published a series of in-depth pieces on Foppoli’s accusers — including one of his young campaign volunteers and one of his colleagues on the Windsor Town Council, both of whom claim he raped them at parties. In response to the D.A.’s announcement, one of his anonymous accusers tells the PD: “He knows as well as I do that he is a rapist, that he raped me and multiple women. … How many rape and sex assault victims and survivors will it take for rapists to be held accountable criminally? Sixteen? Twenty? Forty? Seventy? I ask that our state policymakers please take note. The system is broken. The laws need to be changed, to make it easier to hold rapists accountable.” (Source: Press Democrat & Press Democrat & SF Chronicle & SF Chronicle)
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