All charges dropped against four dentists in ‘completely fabricated’ gang rape case – By Breck Dumas (theblaze.com) / Oct 2 2018
Four California dentists have been exonerated after prosecutors dropped all charges against them over an alleged sexual assault last summer in Las Vegas.
What are the details?
In late July, a woman reported to security at the Wynn Las Vegas casino that she had been raped by the men after being lured to their hotel room to continue drinking after meeting one of them at a nightclub.
She alleges that Ali Badkoobehi kissed and hugged her on the way to his room, and that once inside the suite he pushed her onto a chair and got on top of her, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal.
The accuser told authorities that multiple men then entered the room, taking turns raping her, “but that she was too intoxicated and overwhelmed because of how many people were attacking her and she could not fight back.”
In addition to Badkoobehi, three brothers were also accused in the crime — fellow dentists Saman Edalat, Sina Edalat, and Poria Edalat.
According to the police report, evidence from a hospital examination indicated that the victim had been raped.
The four dentists were released on their own recognizance on Aug. 2 after four days of being held without bail, surrendering their passports as a condition.
Upon their release, Badkoobehi’s attorney, Robert Draskovich, said that while his client did have consensual sex with the woman, the rape allegations were false. He also said video evidence contradicting the rape claim would prove his client’s innocence.
What about the charges?
All charges were ultimately dropped on Monday, with Draskovich saying in a statement: “After a review of the facts of the case, it was clear the allegations were completely fabricated. The evidence confirmed the men’s innocence, and the state has cleared them of all charges,” Fox News reported.
The Edalat brothers also released a statement after the hearing: “We are so grateful to the justice system for recognizing that we were the victims in this case. We knew when the facts came out that the vicious allegations would be exposed as lies and our good names would be cleared. We want to thank our families, friends and lawyers for sticking by us through this horrific ordeal.
“At this sensitive moment in our history, we believe that women should be respected and heard and believed,” the statement continued. “But as this case shows, it is also important to keep a critical eye on those willing to use the (#MeToo) movement for their own selfish motives and remember that innocent until proven guilty is one of our country’s bedrock principles.”
