On Thursday, a judge granted a request to dismiss most of the case against a woman and her girlfriend. They were accused of drugging raping multiple women and reduced it to two charges.
Grant Robicheaux was once dubbed the "bachelor of year" in his hometown. His dating adventures were featured on Bravo's reality show. Seven women originally charged him with sexual assault and rape. Prosecutors claimed that Robicheaux lured women into his home, drugged and then raped them with the help of Cerissa Riley, his girlfriend. Robicheaux was originally charged with 16 felonies. Riley was also charged with five of the alleged victims.
Robicheaux, Riley do not face rape charges. A amended complaint charged them both with kidnapping in order to commit a sex offense, two counts each of assault with the intent to commit sexual offenses, and other charges related to administering or possessing drug. Robicheaux is also facing weapons charges for allegedly being found with guns at his house.
Mike Fell, an attorney representing Jane Doe 1, said to BuzzFeed News that Jane Doe 1 is seeking Robicheaux or Riley's accountability.
He said, "I believe she's satisfied with where we are today. That's seeing the attorney general's Office moving forward with criminal prosecution in relation to her victimization."
Frank Ospino, Orange County Superior Court Judge, listened last week to arguments by attorneys for both the victims and defendants. One victim claimed that she is "exhausted" from the case's long, tedious path.
The case has been tangled in political disputes between the current and former district attorneys for nearly three years. After much rehashing of the court system, prosecution was handed to the state attorney general's Office. They claimed that at least three victims did not want to be involved in this high-profile case, after being "dragged through mud" by the Orange County District Attorney's Office. And that nearly all charges should be dropped.
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BuzzFeed News reached out to the attorney general, but he did not respond immediately.
Steven Bromberg, Orange County Superior Court Judge, agreed on July 14 to drop the charges against two of the women. He also stated that they had the right to withdraw from the case if they so desired. Another twist was that Bromberg abruptly resigned from the case and left it in the hands Ospino.
Bromberg was previously informed by the prosecution that they would reduce charges to one victim. However, they later indicated to Opsino that they had decided to reduce charges to two victims, CBS reported. A preliminary hearing will be held before the end the year.
This was the latest development in a case that had been politicized and unpredicted.
After a judge removed Orange County District Attorney's Office's prosecution, a judge ruled that District Attorney Todd Spitzer and his predecessor, Tony Rackauckas had used the criminal case to their political ambitions. This created "a minefield" of legal risks in the case.
This case was filed in September 2018, while Rackauckas still held office. It made national headlines. Rackauckas claimed that investigators were looking through hundreds of pieces video evidence and then answered an incorrect question, stating that there could have been as many as 1,000 victims.
Spitzer, then running to win Rackauckas's Seat, also accuses the current District Attorney of delaying arrest of the couple in order to generate media attention during this contentious election.
Rackauckas acknowledged that he expected media attention in order to help him win the election but denied taking any action in the matter because of it.
After Spitzer's victory, Spitzer announced in February 2020 that he would seek to have all charges against Robicheaux, Riley, and other suspects dropped. In a shocking press conference the prosecutor apologized for the couple and questioned their credibility.
Spitzer also accused his predecessor, of fabricating the case during a contentious campaign.
Another judge refused to drop charges. He called the allegations of the prosecutor "ludicrous" while questioning Spitzer's motives in trying to dismiss the charges.
In his June 2020 ruling, Judge Gregory Jones of Orange County Superior Court wrote that Mr. Spitzer's political actions have also been problematic.
According to two victims, the entire case was handled by BuzzFeed News because of the political fight between two men who were trying to win an electoral election.
One of the women said, "I didn’t know what it was," BuzzFeed News last summer. "That it was going to a political circus and that I would be on the backside, being forgotten about it."
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