The Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office sex crimes unit is weighing whether to bring charges in a case involving former Rep. Eric Swalwell, a spokesperson told NBC News on Thursday. The county sheriff's victims' unit investigated the case, which was forwarded to prosecutors on Sept. 21, according to the spokesperson.
What is the status of the Eric Swalwell case?
The referral does not mean charges have been filed or that prosecutors have reached any conclusion. Swalwell's attorney, Sara Azari, said in an email Thursday that the referral is "a standard procedural step" and added that her client is "innocent."
"These allegations are false, and the facts will bear that out," Azari said, according to NBC News. She said she welcomes a fair review and expects it to clear him.
Swalwell, a Democrat, resigned from Congress in April and dropped out of the California governor's race after multiple sexual assault and misconduct allegations, which he denies.
What led to the investigation?
Former model and fashion software company owner Lonna Drewes held a news conference in April with her attorneys in Los Angeles, accusing Swalwell of drugging, sexually assaulting and choking her. Los Angeles authorities confirmed at the time that they had opened a criminal investigation into the allegations.
The allegations first surfaced in a San Francisco Chronicle article in which a former Swalwell aide said he sexually assaulted her twice. A source familiar with the woman's account confirmed to NBC News that the Chronicle's reporting was accurate. A subsequent CNN report featured four women, including one whose story matched the Chronicle article, making sexual misconduct allegations against him. One of the other women, Ally Sammarco, said Swalwell sent her unsolicited explicit photos; she later confirmed her account to NBC News.
What other investigations are underway?
The FBI searched Swalwell's Washington, D.C., home in August and seized an electronic device in connection with an investigation described at the time as involving sexual misconduct allegations, according to an official familiar with the matter.
That same month, FBI agents executing a search warrant stopped Swalwell at the San Francisco airport and took his electronic devices. A copy of the warrant obtained by NBC News detailed that investigators seized an iPhone and a MacBook Pro computer.
FAQ
Has Eric Swalwell been charged?
No. Prosecutors are reviewing the case after the sheriff's victims' unit forwarded it on Sept. 21, and no charging decision has been announced.
What does Swalwell say about the allegations?
He denies the allegations. His attorney said he is innocent and described the referral to prosecutors as a standard procedural step that is not a finding of wrongdoing.
