The city of San Jose is expected to pay $225,000 to a woman who alleges she was raped by ex-San Jose Police Department Officer Geoffrey Graves more than six years ago.
On Sept. 22, 2013, Graves responded to a domestic violence call at the woman’s apartment, according to city records. She then asked to be taken to a nearby hotel where she claims the cop “forcibly raped her.”
A few weeks later during an unrelated traffic stop by the California Highway Patrol, the woman reported the rape, saying she hadn’t previously told anyone because she was in the country illegally and scared of how her husband would react.
The Santa Clara County District Attorney tried Graves in criminal court twice—once in 2016 and again in 2018—but both trials ended in a hung 9-3 jury. Graves, who was fired by the SJPD in 2015, faced up to eight years in prison. The ex-cop could have received a life sentence if the jury found him guilty of entering the woman's hotel room with the intent to commit sexual assault.
“Is there really any such thing as consensual sex when an officer is on duty and carrying a gun and wearing a bulletproof vest?” LaDoris Cordell, San Jose’s former independent police auditor, told The Mercury News in 2016. “This case raises that question, particularly when he acted under the color of authority with an undocumented woman.”
The settlement is slated to be approved as part of the consent agenda at this week’s San Jose City Council meeting.
The San Jose City Council meets at 1:30 pm Tuesday inside the council chambers at City Hall, 200 E. Santa Clara St. in San Jose. Click here to read the entire agenda.
> “This case raises that question, particularly when he acted under the color of authority with an undocumented woman.”
This case raises questions about crimes where there are no witnesses, credibility or accusers, presumption of innocence, equal protection under the law, and due process.
Graves is probably a cop again in some backwater town outside the bay area.
> Graves is probably a cop again in some backwater town outside the bay area.
Or, maybe not. You have no idea.
I was a jurist on the second trial who said not guilty. I sat through the evidence and withstood bullying from 9 of my fellow jurists who were trying to get “justice” for the drunk driver with her son in the car. She was scamming to get out of the dui, plain and simple. The courts should just load up juries with progressives like those who want sanctuary cities and counties.
Then I wouldn’t have been abused twice, once in court and now by throwing this scam artist $225k with my tax $$.
Thank you Juror, on behalf of the family we are very sorry that the jury bullied you. It breaks our heart to hear this. We thank you for seeing this for what it is and we are grateful for your time. We understand that he made a mistake and that mistake cost him everything. He understands the loss of his job but it’s unfair what he was put through . The public doesn’t understand what the media did to his life and to his family. It is heartbreaking, the mean things people say and do, the harassment in public, not being able to participate in scholastic events before because people think it’s best that he not be around. No one knows how loving and kind he is or what he has accomplished. He and we are still recovering, life will never be the same. The sad part is legally the accuser will not be held accountable for what she caused. We pray that no one is ever falsely accused of something so horrible. People make mistakes, they don’t always make good choices, it happens in EVERY profession. And a final point, It is not okay for any professional within this case to go on a witch hunt to make him look worse to get a win. We cannot express the pain, the tears and all the ugly that has come of this. Juror, thank you again.
Difficult to understand why the city would give away a quarter million dollars of tax money.
The going rate for police assaults in Palo Alto seems to be half a million. I think that’s because the rent on law offices is higher in Palo Alto than San Jose. King City might settle for $100k; maybe a million in San Francisco.
LaDoris who??????