Sex-Crimes Unit Portrayed as 'Freewheeling Fraternity' in Rape Case Against Prosecutor
A sex-crimes unit in suburban San Francisco is portrayed in an unflattering light in a case against one of its prosecutors.
The California Attorney General’s office brought the prosecution against Contra Costa County Deputy District Attorney Michael Gressett, who was accused of raping a fellow prosecutor during their lunch hour. She had said she agreed to sex, but it turned into a rape. He said the encounter was consensual. A judge dismissed the charges last month because grand jurors were not told of exculpatory evidence that raised doubts about the accuser’s credibility.
The Los Angeles Times examined the case and found it exposed allegations about a sexually charged atmosphere in Gressett’s unit at the DA’s office. “Testimony and court records portrayed its sex-crimes unit as a freewheeling fraternity whose members engaged in crude sexual banter and boasted about belonging to a sex club,” the story says.
The story elaborates. Some prosecutors—including Gressett and Gressett’s accuser—told tales of sexual romps over lunch and drinks, according to grand jury testimony. Prosecutors once held a co-ed “slumber party,” court records say. A picture from the event showed two prosecutors in a sexually suggestive pose.
