A high-profile former Boston prosecutor accused of raping and sexually assaulting a 25-year-old woman while she slept in a midtown Manhattan hotel in 2017 has been acquitted of all charges by a jury.
Adam Foss, 43, who gained national attention with a 2016 TED Talk on criminal justice reform, exchanged text messages and calls with the woman he met at a conference for about a month before the two spent the night together at a hotel in Midtown Manhattan.
The woman repeatedly rejected Foss’s advances, but then claimed he raped her after she fell asleep. She later came forward with the allegations that prompted an investigation last year and subsequent trial that concluded Friday.
Foss had always maintained that their meeting was consensual.
In his closing arguments at the trial last week, his lawyer Priya Chaudhry suggested to the jury that the prosecution’s account was not credible when she described Foss’s version of the night in question.
Adam Foss, 43, has been acquitted of rape and sexual abuse charges after prosecutors alleged he raped a woman in a New York hotel room in 2017. Pictured next to his lawyer Priya Chaudhry
The lawsuit loss is significant for Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, pictured, who has made prosecuting sex crimes a priority
The attorney then continued with a discussion about text exchanges between the alleged victim and a friend, in which the accuser described Foss as “cute” and “beautiful.”
Chaudhry claimed the woman’s story about what happened changed when Foss “ghosted her.”
“You may think that Mr. Foss should have been more considerate, but that is very different from finding beyond a reasonable doubt that he committed rape,” Chaudhry said.
Allegations of misconduct against Foss came to light in 2020, when a writer and singer published a blog post accusing Foss of raping her after the two met at a conference.
In the post, the author describes meeting Foss, their exchange of text messages and phone calls, and multiple encounters, including one night when she woke up to Foss having sex with her in a Midtown Manhattan hotel room.
Foss is pictured at his arraignment in Manhattan Supreme Court in August 2022
Foss, a former prosecutor from Massachusetts, now lives in Los Angeles. He has now been acquitted of charges of first-degree rape and sexual abuse
Her post prompted Suffolk County District Attorney Rachael Rollins to launch an independent investigation into Foss’ conduct during his time as prosecutor.
The report concluded that while Foss had engaged in “disturbing” behavior with young interns, it did not rise to a criminal level.
Singer Raegan Sealy publicly accused Foss of raping her blog post after meeting him at a venue where he had spoken and she had performed.
The district attorney’s office has not confirmed whether the accuser in the case was Sealy.
“As Mr. Foss turns the page on this chapter, he looks forward to time with his wife and son,” Foss’ attorney, Priya Chaudhry, said after his acquittal Friday.
She added that he was “carefully evaluating his legal options to address the serious impact these false allegations have had on his life.”
Chaudhry said Foss wanted to express his “sincere appreciation to the jury and judge for their diligent discernment of the truth in a complex case.”
The not guilty verdict came after a two-week trial, coupled with several days of jury deliberation (Foss is pictured at an event in 2016)
Allegations of misconduct against Foss came to light in 2020, when a writer and singer published a blog post accusing Foss of raping her after the two met at a conference. Pictured in August 2022
The verdict came after a two-week trial, coupled with several days of jury deliberation.
Foss, who now lives in Los Angeles, was a district attorney in Suffolk County, Massachusetts.
He rose to national fame after leaving office in 2016 and founding the nonprofit organization Prosecutor Impact.
The organization trained prosecutors in practices it said could reduce incarceration rates.
The lawsuit loss is significant for Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg, who has made prosecuting sex crimes a priority.
A spokesman for Bragg said prosecutors were disappointed by the verdict but respected the jury’s decision.
