Criminal investigation opened into Windsor Mayor Dominic Foppoli after sexual assault accusations


The Sonoma County Sheriff’s Office launched a criminal investigation Thursday into Windsor Mayor Dominic Foppoli, as more than a dozen local and state lawmakers demanded that he resign or be removed from office in response to a Chronicle investigation documenting four women’s accounts that Foppoli sexually assaulted them in incidents from 2003 to 2019.

The reaction to the investigation, which published Thursday morning, was swift. Even as Foppoli denied the women’s allegations in a statement released by his attorney, elected officials across Sonoma County said the revelations made clear that he had caused too much harm — and that his town needed a new leader.

It was not immediately clear whether Foppoli could face criminal charges; as of Thursday, none of the women who spoke to The Chronicle had filed police reports, and in some cases the legal statute of limitations for prosecution may have passed. Windsor contracts for police services with the county Sheriff’s Office.

“These allegations are troubling, shocking and, if verified through our investigation, they constitute criminal actions, and we will prosecute them to the fullest extent,” Sonoma County Sheriff Mark Essick said. “As a 28-year cop this affects me not only as a member of the community but as the father of a 21-year-old daughter. This really hits home.”

Windsor town officials said in a statement: “The conduct described in the article published by the San Francisco Chronicle is not acceptable nor does it reflect the values or standards we hold ourselves to as a community.” They said the town was “in the process of evaluating its duties and options under the circumstances. We ask for the community’s trust that the allegations are being taken seriously and that appropriate actions will be taken in response.”

Those who called for Foppoli, 38, to step down included all eight mayors from the rest of the incorporated cities in Sonoma County.

“As your local elected leaders, we are committed to ending sexual violence in Sonoma County and believe the actions by a fellow Mayor should not be tolerated,” said the mayors of Cloverdale, Cotati, Healdsburg, Petaluma, Rohnert Park, Santa Rosa, Sebastopol and Sonoma.

Foppoli’s Windsor Town Council colleague, Sonoma County Deputy District Attorney Esther Lemus, asked him to give up his seat, as did Healdsburg Council Member Ariel Kelley, state Assembly Member Jim Wood, D-Santa Rosa, and state Sen. Mike McGuire, D-Healdsburg.

Signs endorsing Dominic Foppoli for mayor of Windsor are posted outside a home in Windsor in October. Foppoli has been accused by multiple women of sexual assault dating as far back as 2003.

Signs endorsing Dominic Foppoli for mayor of Windsor are posted outside a home in Windsor in October. Foppoli has been accused by multiple women of sexual assault dating as far back as 2003.

Jessica Christian / The Chronicle

“Given the severity and specificity of the allegations against Windsor Mayor Dominic Foppoli there’s only one option — he needs to resign immediately,” McGuire said on Twitter. “Mr. Foppoli has caused tremendous pain and trauma with his appalling and disgusting behavior.”

Also Thursday, Sonoma County District Attorney Jill Ravitch said she has assigned the chief deputy district attorney in charge of sexual assault prosecutions and the chief investigator in the investigative bureau to review the allegations against Foppoli.

Ravitch encouraged potential victims to contact her office or the county’s Family Justice Center. “We want to move forward with this,” she told The Chronicle. “We are not going to sit by idly having read this information. Time is of the essence.”

Foppoli, the co-owner of Christopher Creek Winery outside Healdsburg, did not respond to a request for comment Thursday. In a statement provided to The Chronicle by his attorney Wednesday, he “categorically denied” all allegations of sexual assault.

“Sexual assault and sexual misconduct are very serious issues, and Mr. Foppoli takes these allegations very seriously,” said the lawyer, Bethany Kristovich of Los Angeles. “He has a long history of supporting women in his business, personal, and political lives, and the accusation that he has engaged in any of these misdeeds is deeply troubling. Mr. Foppoli prides himself on working to improve life for all of his constituents, and he will continue to maintain the fundamental value of treating everyone with respect.”

Ken MacNab, the town manager for Windsor, an up-and-coming tourist destination in the heart of California’s Wine Country, said Thursday that the town was “evaluating its duties and options.” MacNab did not respond to questions about what that process might entail beyond the referral to law enforcement.

“The allegations made against the Mayor are both shocking and horrible,” MacNab said. “The conduct described does not reflect the values or standards we hold ourselves to as an organization or as a community. We are taking the allegations seriously.”

Windsor Vice Mayor Sam Salmon said town officials were in discussion with their lawyers on Thursday morning.

“It’s going to be a very hard road here for us on council,” Salmon said in an interview. “How will we continue to build trust? Because now some people will somewhat lose trust in the town and in our process.”

In statements posted to her Twitter and Facebook accounts, Lemus asked for Foppoli’s resignation, saying she was “horrified” by the allegations.

“As a mother, a Deputy District Attorney and Windsor Town Councilmember, I find the recent San Francisco Chronicle story both distressing and horrifying,” Lemus said in her Facebook post. “I am saddened for the victims and disgusted by the allegations against Dominic Foppoli. In order for our Town to continue to function properly, I request the resignation of Dominic Foppoli from his position as Mayor immediately. My heart goes out to all the courageous women who have come forward.”

The Chronicle investigation detailed the accounts of four women who said Foppoli sexually assaulted them after nights of social drinking. The women said they did not know each other.

A woman who had volunteered for Foppoli’s 2003 campaign for California Assembly, and had dated the candidate, said he raped her twice at a New Year’s Eve party.

A second woman, Sophia Williams, told The Chronicle that Foppoli, during his first bid for Windsor Town Council in 2006, thrust his groin against her, tried to kiss her and attempted to remove her pants without her consent.

Allison Britton said Foppoli engaged in oral copulation with her in 2012 at a hotel in Reno when she was nearly unconscious and too intoxicated to consent. Britton said she and Foppoli were both attending the national convention of Active 20-30, a civil and social organization to which they both belong.

In 2019, during Foppoli’s first year as mayor, he kissed and groped 21-year-old Rose Fumoso as she pleaded with him to stop, Fumoso told The Chronicle.

The Chronicle investigation also revealed that someone had sent an email to then-Windsor Mayor Debora Fudge in 2017, describing an additional allegation of sexual misconduct against Foppoli. The Chronicle obtained the email through a California Public Records Act request.

The complainant — whose name was redacted by Windsor officials — said that in 2013, when she and friends were renting the guest house at Christopher Creek Winery, Foppoli invited himself over, directed two young female winery employees to remove their underwear and wear togas, secretly topped off guests’ wineglasses, and tried to remove at least one woman’s bathing suit.

The Chronicle asked Foppoli about the complaint this week, but the statement provided by his attorney did not address the specific allegations. In a Nov. 29, 2017, email to the town manager responding to the complaint involving the winery guests, Foppoli said he “adamantly” denied doing anything improper.

As a Town Council member and mayor, Foppoli has helped to propel development in Windsor, including multimillion-dollar housing projects and a downtown redesign. He was part of an effort to bring Russian River Brewing Co.’s massive production facility and brewpub to town.

Last year, Foppoli took on a leadership role with the League of California Cities, which advocates for cities’ interests across the state.

Calling the allegations “horrible and deeply disturbing,” Carolyn Coleman, executive director and CEO of the League of California Cities, said in a statement Thursday that the organization is “currently evaluating our options regarding Mayor Foppoli’s position as a department officer.”

Earlier this week, Foppoli was appointed to the Board of Directors of the Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District to represent the county’s half-million residents in the operation of the bridge and the district’s bus and ferry services.

Sonoma County Supervisor David Rabbitt, who is also a board member for the bridge district, said in an interview that actions should be taken to rescind Foppoli’s recent appointment.

“I sent a note to our chair (at the district) asking for them to reconsider Foppoli,” Rabbitt said. “The person at the center of the issue needs to starts taking responsibility, and that’s why I say he needs to resign immediately, to let the town move on and heal.”

Tiffani Montgomery, the president of the national Active 20-30 organization, said its officers have launched “expulsion procedures” Thursday to remove Foppoli from the Santa Rosa club, and have directed an independent investigator to review the allegations made against him.

“The Board of Directors is both saddened and outraged in the wake of these allegations and stands firmly with the victims,” Montgomery said in a statement. She went on to specifically reference the alleged assault involving Britton: “The Board of Directors deeply regrets any lapses on its part that may have permitted this abuse to persist, and the victim’s suffering prolonged.”

Officials with Sonoma County organizations representing wineries and winegrowers said they were “appalled and sickened” by the allegations.

“Sexual assault and harassment are violent acts we categorically do not condone or tolerate. Period,” said Michael Haney, executive director of Sonoma County Vintners, which includes Christopher Creek Winery.

These condemnations from the community came alongside a steady rush of North Bay lawmakers calling for Foppoli’s resignation Thursday.

“What these women’s stories reveal about Mayor Dominic Fopolli (sic) is a pattern of criminal behavior and sexual assault,” Sonoma Mayor Logan Harvey said in a Facebook post. “I have nothing but the deepest sympathy for the women represented in this article. Their experiences with Fopolli are traumatic events that will stick with them for the rest of their lives and I honor their bravery in stepping forward to share their stories.”

Added Harvey, “Dominic must resign immediately from all elected offices and posts. No one who is so credibly accused of such heinous acts should be in a position of honor or power. These women should be believed and supported by their community as all victims of sexual assault should.”

Sonoma County Supervisor James Gore, who has been friends with Foppoli and recently endorsed him for the mayoral election in Windsor, expressed his shock over the allegations in a Facebook post and apologized to the women, stating, “Our systems failed you.

“In learning about these stories, he should step down from representing the community that he has deeply hurt,” Gore said. “I hold myself accountable for not digging deeper into his personal behavior before endorsement, and commit to doing deeper diligence in the future.”

Kelley, the Healdsburg council member, also took to Facebook to call for Foppoli’s resignation. “No political maneuvering because of his position. No non-answers because he denies it. Mayor Foppoli has to go,” Kelley said. “And if he doesn’t, the Windsor Town Council should take the necessary action to remove him — immediately.”

In posts to his Facebook and Twitter accounts, former Windsor Town Councilmember Bruce Okrepkie said, “Dominic Foppoli must resign.”

Santa Rosa Mayor Chris Rogers said in a Facebook post, “Dominic needs to resign, or his voters need to remove him.”

“I understand that everyone in this country is innocent until proven guilty,” Rogers said, “but these allegations are credible, specific, documented, and horrifying.”

San Francisco Chronicle staff writer Esther Mobley contributed to this report.

Alexandria Bordas and Cynthia Dizikes are San Francisco Chronicle staff writers. Email: alexandria.bordas@sfchronicle.com, cdizikes@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @crossingbordas, @cdizikes

Laisser un commentaire