Florida Rep. Fabian Basabe is under investigation for sexual assault in 2003 – NBC 6 South Florida

Florida Rep. Fabian Basabe is under investigation over a man’s claims that the lawmaker drugged and raped him more than 20 years ago.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department told NBC6 it is investigating the alleged incident with the lawmaker.

The allegations are detailed: A man claimed in 2003, when he was about 23, that Basabe gave him a “vodka orange juice in a red solo cup” and believes he drugged him in a Malibu condo and later sexually assaulted, according to an affidavit to an attorney first reported by the Miami Herald.

The man – whose name has not been released as an alleged sexual assault victim – says in a statement obtained by NBC6 that he only told his sister and his boss that someone had attacked him at the time, but was ashamed and did not report the incident until last month at the police.

A spokesperson for the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department told NBC6 that the special victims’ agency is conducting an ongoing investigation into Basabe.

This week, Basabe released a video condemning the allegations made against him.

“I would like to address false allegations that have been made against me solely for political reasons,” he says in the video.

Basabe also sent NBC6 a statement:

“The timing of these baseless allegations speaks more clearly to this newspaper’s desire to influence your voice than any statement I can make. And let’s not ignore the fact that I’m being attacked less than two weeks before election day, that’s outrageous and MUST be taken into account. The Democrats, the supposed party of goodness, have nothing of their name. It is a pit of unconscious snakes ready to destroy anyone who gets in their way, with a complete disregard for human life. It is neither kind nor compassionate to commit guilt until proven innocent.

Turning a deaf ear to the impact of false accusations of any kind must become criminal and go beyond defamation. Freedom of expression carries the greatest responsibility when a person’s life is at risk and therefore the lives of those around him – in my case, my son, my wife, my family.

It’s a shame for everyone who perpetuates this narrative.”

The accuser submitted the affidavit earlier this month to the lawyer representing two former Basabe aides in an ongoing case accusing the lawmaker of sexual harassment. Basabe denied these claims and pointed to a House investigation that cleared him of wrongdoing.

The man who says he is heterosexual is now 45 years old. In the statement, he said he felt compelled to come forward after learning that Basabe was now an elected official. He said his reason for speaking was to hold Basabe accountable.

Cindy Myers is the attorney who took the accuser’s deposition and is representing the two former employees who are currently suing Basabe.

“We hope that other victims who may be out there will speak out and seek help if they have suffered the same type of injury at the hands of Mr. Basabe,” Myers said in an email.

Basabe also provided NBC6 with a statement from his attorney Gus Harper:

“As a third-generation lawyer, it pains me to witness the unfortunate development that is taking place in legal practice and jurisprudence. Gone are the days when individuals could enjoy protection from 20-year-old, unproven and baseless allegations. Gone are the days when truth, truthfulness and due process served as the basis for public opinion and evidence. Gone are the days when actual proof of guilt was required and the days when a court decides between truth and fiction.

In these unfortunate times, the court of public opinion decides guilt or innocence, and that court is extremely quick to convict. For reasons unknown, the public no longer seems to need actual evidence or evidence to support such a conviction. Claims have become absolute truths, and evidence and evidence have been replaced by attention-grabbing headlines and salacious claims.

This phenomenon has not gone unnoticed. Certain clever minds, both individuals and lawyers, have found a way to weaponize the passage of time and monetize it. Proving (or disproving) something that supposedly happened more than 20 years ago presents a number of inherent difficulties. Witnesses move and die, people change and memories fade. Fortunately, this is never the truth. The truth does not change over time. What was true 20 years ago is still true today.

The truth is that MP Fabian Basabe has never sexually abused anyone and never would. These allegations are aimed at giving Mr. Basabe some advantage and otherwise frustrating the outcome of his upcoming election. Representative Basabe looks forward to clearing his name and going to court in due course.”

Describing his video message as a verbal contract, Basabe said: “If at any time in the future any of these allegations against me prove to be true, I would resign immediately and be held accountable.”

The man who accused Basabe said he was not doing this for money.

“I’m not trying to sue him. I’m not trying to shake this guy off for personal reasons… I’m afraid there are probably other people out there that this has happened to,” he said.

The Los Angeles Sheriff’s Department said the case will be submitted to the district attorney’s office for review after the investigation is complete.

Basabe has not been charged in connection with the other cases.