A social justice advocate and former Boston prosecutor accused of raping a woman in a New York City hotel five years ago has been acquitted of all charges by a Manhattan jury.
Adam Foss, 43, of Los Angeles, was charged with first-degree rape and sexual assault in Manhattan last year for allegedly raping a 25-year-old woman as 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 decision, according to defense lawyer Priya Chaudhry, is “proof of the fairness of our legal system when it works well.”
But it also points to what Chaudhry called a troubling trend in Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office to “weaponize charges where a black man is accused by a white woman, sidestepping the need for hard evidence in favor of narrative-driven prosecutions.” ,” he wrote. .
“This represents a miscarriage of justice, fueled by community bias that has no place in a system pledged to justice and equality,” Chaudhry said in a statement to The Post.
Adam Foss was acquitted of rape charges last week in Manhattan, according to reports. Getty Images for Global Citizens
“As Mr. Foss turns the page on this chapter, he is looking forward to spending time with his wife and son and is carefully evaluating his legal options to address the significant impact these false accusations have had on his life.”
Foss — a public speaker who has given a TED talk on criminal justice reform — is a rising star who rose to national prominence in 2016 when she founded Prosecutor Impact, an organization that trains other prosecutors in practices Foss believes will lower incarceration rates, the Times said.
He was also featured as one of Fast Company’s most creative and most influential black Americans at The Root, according to the newspaper.
Prosecutors allege Foss raped a woman at 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, which is when prosecutors said she repeatedly rejected his attempts to have sex before they both fell asleep.
Prosecutors said Foss took advantage of the woman while she slept, adding that she was “unable to give consent because she was physically helpless,” according to the indictment.
During closing arguments, Chaudhry tried to portray the accuser’s story as unreliable, and read to jurors a text the accuser later sent to a friend describing 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 the account allegedly changed after Foss haunted it, Chaudhry said.
Three years ago, singer Raegan Sealy publicly accused Foss of raping her after the pair met at an event where she was speaking and he was performing.
The DA’s office has not confirmed whether the accuser in the case is Sealy because of its practice of not disclosing victims’ identities.
On Sunday, a spokesman for Bragg’s office said he was disappointed with the jury’s decision.
Foss defeated the charge after his attorney reportedly tried to portray the victim’s story as unreliable. 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 its service and respect the verdict it rendered,” the email continued.
“Therefore, we decline to comment further at this time.”
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
