Windsor Mayor Dominic Foppoli resigns after Farrah Abraham and multiple women accuse him of sexual assault
After weeks of public pressure, the Mayor of Windsor, Dominic Foppolli has finally announced he is resigning from his post. Foppolli announced his resignation with immediate effect on May 21, Friday through a written statement.
Foppoli's statement was made public through his attorney where he continued to insist he was innocent. The California town mayor has been accused of raping and sexually assaulting several women since 2013. Those allegations came to light in an expose by The San Francisco Chronicle in early April. The report led to widespread pressure including from the town's council and North Bay’s two congressional representatives.
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In mid-April, he fought back and said he would be "stepping back", but not resigning. "It has become clear to me that the Town Council will not function at the level expected by its citizens if I remain actively involved," he said at the time. Since then, the town's Vice Mayor, Sam Salmon, has taken over Foppoli's role. But with added pressure from another allegation, it became clear Fopolli could no longer serve in the role and he chose to step down.
Ex-'Teen Mom' star Farrah Abraham accuses Foppoli
While five women originally came forward for the San Fransisco Chronicle expose, a total of nine people have now accused him of misconduct. The latest is former reality TV star, Farrah Abraham. Abraham filed a police report in Palm Beach, Florida on April 2. That report was filed days before "Chronicle reporters first approached Foppoli about their investigation, and six days before the article was published," the paper reported.
Nonetheless, Fopolli has alleged that Abraham is simply taking advantage of the situation. He wrote, "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. I have no doubt she is making these allegations in an attempt to leverage the situation to her advantage."
But with the mounting pressure, it was clear he had to step down. "It is with heavy heart that I am resigning, effective today," he wrote. "I have always and will always maintain that I did not engage in any non-consensual acts with any woman." He added that he did "not want undue national attention to have a negative impact on the Windsor community because of lawful, but poor choices, I have made in the recent past."
Abraham first rose to prominence in 2009 through the MTV reality television series '16 and Pregnant' and later appeared on the series, 'Teen Mom'. Abraham's lawyer, Spencer Kuvin, had strong words for the embattled mayor. "This is not a ‘he said, she said’ situation. She has physical proof," Kuvin told The Chronicle. "We believe it is in felony territory." Abraham refused to provide further comment citing an ongoing criminal investigation. Foppoli is facing two investigations. One from the Sonoma County Sheriff's Office and another in Palm Beach. Reportedly, the two authorities were "in communication", but they were still two different cases.
The mayor has refused to comment to the press, beyond his written statement. Meanwhile, on social media, many are celebrating the resignation.
'Foppoli did the right thing'
State Senator Mike McGuire tweeted, "It's about time Dominic Foppoli did the right thing & resign. It should have happened immediately. He has brought incredible pain & trauma to so many women and dishonor to the Town of Windsor. Now, we look to the justice system to hold him accountable for his egregious actions."
It's about time Dominic Foppoli did the right thing & resign. It should have happened immediately. He has brought incredible pain & trauma to so many women and dishonor to the Town of Windsor. Now, we look to the justice system to hold him accountable for his egregious actions.
— Mike McGuire (@ilike_mike) May 21, 2021
"FINALLY, the jerk resigns. He put the town of Windsor, CA through hell..." tweeted one person. Another simply said, "Good riddance, Dominic Foppoli."
FINALLY, the jerk resigns. He put the town of Windsor, CA through hell...
— CatT🌻Reigning Typo Queen👑 😷🌊 (@typo_cat) May 21, 2021
Four women say Windsor Mayor Dominic Foppoli, ‘prince’ of Wine Country, sexually assaulted themhttps://t.co/UfdW5zgyAk
From his statement, Foppoli seems convinced that he is innocent and that he will be cleared by the investigation. In the past, he claimed that he had "consensual" sexual relations with the five women, and called the story a "political attack". Once the Sonoma County Sheriff's Office has completed it's investigation, it will pass its findings to the California Attorney General’s Office. The AG will decide whether to prosecute or not.