Charges were dropped Monday against four California men falsely accused of sexual assault after a cell phone video debunked their female accuser’s claim that they’d gang raped her in a Las Vegas hotel.
Ali Badkoobehi and brothers Poria Edalat, Saman Edalat and Sina Edalat, all dentists from California, were arrested in late July and charged with sexual assault, conspiracy to commit sexual assault and first-degree kidnapping after a woman alleged the group of men had gang-raped her repeatedly at the Wynn hotel.
All charges were dropped after video footage proved the woman had made up her entire claim and that the encounter was entirely consensual.
"After a review of the facts of the case, it was clear that the allegations were completely fabricated," lawyer Robert Draskovich, who represented Badkoobehi, said in a statement. "The (video) evidence confirmed the men's innocence, and the state has cleared them of all charges."
The four men released a joint statement thanking their supporters and cautioning against believing all accusations of sexual assault, saying:
“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. At this sensitive moment in our history, we believe that women should be respected and heard and believed. But as this case shows, it is also important to keep a critical eye on those willing to use the movement for their own selfish motives and remember that innocent until proven guilty is one of our country’s bedrock principles.”