A Virginia jury acquits an ex-CIA recruit in an assault case that led to sexual misconduct reforms

A erstwhile CIA officer-trainee was acquitted by a Virginia assemblage Wednesday of charges that he attacked a female workfellow successful a stairwell, accusations that spurred a flood of intersexual misconduct complaints and reforms astatine nan spy agency.

Prosecutors said Ashkan Bayatpour came up down a chap trainee successful nan stairwell astatine CIA’s Langley, Virginia, office successful 2022, wrapped a scarf astir her cervix and tried to buss her while making threatening remarks.

Bayatpour appealed past summertime aft he was convicted by a judge of nan aforesaid misdemeanor battle and artillery charge. Under Virginia law, nan Alabama autochthonal and erstwhile Navy intelligence serviceman was entitled to a afloat assemblage proceedings successful Fairfax County. The sheet deliberated respective hours Wednesday earlier its verdict.

“I’m grateful that a assemblage of my peers believed maine and recovered maine not guilty,” said nan 40-year-old Bayatpour, who resigned from nan CIA aft nan earlier condemnation successful nan case. “Being falsely accused for nan past 2 years has been a nightmare. My family and I person had truthful overmuch of our peace, joy, privateness and information stolen from us, and my attraction now is putting my life backmost together aft this ordeal.”

Bayatpour acknowledged successful nan earlier chair proceedings that he wrapped nan scarf astir nan woman’s cervix but insisted his actions were intended successful jest during a 40-minute locomotion together. The incident, his lawyer said, was “a joke that didn’t onshore nan measurement it was intended to land.”

The woman’s determination to return nan lawsuit extracurricular nan spy agency emboldened astatine slightest 2 twelve female CIA labor to travel guardant to authorities and Congress complete nan past 2 years pinch their ain stories of intersexual assault, unwanted rubbing and what they contend is simply a run to support them from speaking out.

An AP investigation recovered that their accusations, immoderate of which spell backmost years, ranged from lewd remarks astir intersexual fantasies to allegations that a seasoned CIA serviceman astatine an office party reached up a colleague’s skirt and forcibly kissed her successful beforehand of stunned co-workers.

The House Intelligence Committee, successful a bipartisan report this year, faulted nan CIA for botching its consequence to specified intersexual misconduct allegations. The report, based connected interviews pinch 26 whistleblowers and galore briefings pinch CIA officials, recovered nan agency’s investigation of intersexual battle aliases harassment was ineffective and victims were discouraged from making complaints.

The agency said it has since reformed its policies, including making judge officers are alert they tin study complaints to rule enforcement, and different steps to streamline soul investigations, support victims and quickly subject those responsible.

“We return nan issues of intersexual battle and intersexual harassment highly seriously, and we stay committed to ensuring a safe workplace for our officers,” nan CIA said successful a statement.

Bayatpour’s accuser, Rachel Cuda, was fired aft filing a national civilian authorities suit alleging nan CIA retaliated against her for reporting nan incident to section rule enforcement and testifying astir it successful a closed legislature hearing.

Her attorney, Kevin Carroll, said he was disappointed pinch nan trial’s result and questioned nan defendant’s strategies to clear his name, which he said included trying to shame nan complainant pinch inaccurate, prejudicial and irrelevant allegations.

“This effort to tarnish her estimation is reprehensible, and it is astonishing that it was allowed successful 2024,” he said.

The AP mostly does not place those who opportunity they person been sexually abused isolated from erstwhile nan alleged victims publically place themselves aliases consent to their sanction being published, arsenic Cuda has successful this case.

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Goodman reported from Miami, Mustian from New Orleans. Contact AP’s world investigative squad astatine [email protected].