Embattled Windsor Mayor Dominic Foppoli Resigns Amid Multiple Sexual Assault Allegations
WINDSOR (CBS SF) – Embattled Windsor mayor Dominic Foppoli resigned Friday, amid ongoing state and local investigations into multiple allegations of sexual assault against him.
"It is with a heavy heart that I am resigning, effective today," Foppoli said in a statement received by KCBS Radio.
The resignation announcement comes amid a new allegation by a Florida woman who said she was assaulted by Foppoli while he was visiting the state earlier this year.
"I have always and will always maintain that I did not engage in any non-consensual acts with any woman. I recently learned that a woman in Palm Beach Florida is accusing me of non-consensual acts while I was visiting there in March of this year. She made her allegations after she learned of the April 8, 2021 San Francisco Chronicle story," Foppoli said.
According to the Chronicle, former reality television star Farrah Abraham made the allegation against Foppoli for the incident in Florida. Spencer Kuvin, Abraham's attorney, told the newspaper that his client has provided police with evidence supporting her account.
The newspaper also confirmed with police in Palm Beach that Abraham filed her police report a week before the Chronicle published an investigation into the mayor, which cited four women who said they were assaulted by Foppoli in incidents from 2003 to 2019.
Abraham's rise to fame started when she appeared on the MTV reality TV programs "16 and Pregnant" and "Teen Mom" starting in 2009.
Foppoli went on to say in his resignation statement that he did not want "undue national attention to have a negative impact" on the community over what he described as "lawful, but poor choices, I have made in the recent past."
"Windsor should continue to thrive, and I believe that at this juncture, stepping down is the best way to ensure that Windsor flourishes," he said.
Following the initial report, several other women have come forward alleging they were assaulted by Foppoli, including a member of the city council. Investigations were launched by both the Sonoma County Sheriff's Office and the California Attorney General's Office. Other members of the Windsor city council called for his resignation and residents launched a recall campaign.
Earlier this month, Foppoli announced he was "stepping back" from an active role as mayor during the investigations.
