A Manhattan jury has acquitted a social justice advocate and former Boston prosecutor of all charges who was accused of raping a woman in a New York City hotel five years ago.
Adam Foss, 43, of Los Angeles, had been charged with first-degree rape and sexual assault in Manhattan last year for allegedly raping a 25-year-old woman while she slept in a Midtown hotel room on October 21, 2017.
On Friday, a jury acquitted the former Suffolk County, Massachusetts, prosecutor after a two-week trial and several days of deliberations, according to The New York Times.
The verdict, according to defense attorney Priya Chaudhry, is a “testament to the justice of our legal system when it works properly.”
But it also showed what Chaudhry called a disturbing trend within Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office of “weaponizing allegations in which a black man is accused by a white woman, leaving aside the need of strong evidence in favor of narrative-based prosecutions,” he wrote. .
“This represents a misapplication of justice, fueled by social prejudices that have no place in a system committed to justice and equality,” Chaudhry said in a statement to The Post.
Adam Foss was reportedly acquitted of rape charges last week in Manhattan. Getty Images for Global Citizen
“As Mr. Foss turns the page of this chapter, he looks forward to spending time with his wife and young son and is carefully evaluating his legal options to address the serious impact these false accusations have had on his life.”
Foss, a public speaker who once gave a TED talk on criminal justice reform, was a rising star who rose to national prominence in 2016 when he founded Prosecutor Impact, an organization that trained other prosecutors in practices Foss thought that would reduce incarceration rates, according to the Times. saying.
He was also featured as one of Fast Company’s most creative people and The Root’s most influential black Americans, according to the newspaper.
Prosecutors claimed Foss had raped a woman in a midtown Manhattan hotel in 2017. Danny Moloshok/Invision/AP Foss pleaded not guilty in Manhattan Supreme Court and was released on supervised release.Steven Hirsch
He and the victim had been calling and texting for a month before the date, when prosecutors said she repeatedly rejected his efforts to have sex before the two fell asleep.
Prosecutors said Foss took advantage of the woman while she was sleeping, adding that she “was incapable of giving consent because she was physically helpless,” according to the indictment.
During closing arguments, Chaudhry tried to present the accuser’s story as not credible and read texts to the jury that the accuser later sent to her friend that described the night with Foss as “cute,” the Times said.
Foss rose to prominence in 2016 when he founded an organization called Prosecutor Impact. Getty Images for Global Citizen In 2020, singer Raegan Sealy publicly accused Foss of raping her. instagram
But that account allegedly changed after Foss deceived her, Chaudhry said.
Three years ago, singer Raegan Sealy publicly accused Foss of raping her after the couple met at an event where he was speaking and she was performing.
The district attorney’s office would not confirm whether the accuser in his case was Sealy because of its practice of not revealing victims’ identities.
On Sunday, a spokesman for Bragg’s office said he was disappointed by the jury’s decision.
Foss rejected the charges after his attorney reportedly attempted to present the alleged victim’s story as not credible. Steven Hirsch
“Survivors of sexual assault deserve their day in court, and our prosecutors fight every day to center and elevate their voices,” the spokesperson said in an email.
“While we are disappointed, we sincerely thank the jury for their service and respect the verdict they returned,” the email continued.
“As such, we will decline to comment further at this time.”
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Source: vtt.edu.vn