The Los Angeles County District Attorney’s office and the county Sheriff’s Department have each launched separate criminal investigations into former Rep. Eric Swalwell following a sexual assault allegation tied to West Hollywood in 2018.
Lonna Drewes went public Tuesday. The former model, who now works in fashion technology, told reporters that Swalwell offered her professional connections before drugging, choking, and raping her in July 2018. Her attorney, Lisa Bloom, confirmed they’ve also filed a report with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, the agency that handles policing in West Hollywood because the city sits within unincorporated county territory.
District Attorney Nathan Hochman confirmed his office’s Sex Crime Division is working alongside law enforcement on the matter. He didn’t commit to charges. “When and if a case is presented, seasoned prosecutors will review the facts and evidence to determine whether there is sufficient evidence for charges to be filed,” Hochman said. “When a filing decision is made, we will ensure the public is made aware.”
The Sheriff’s Department confirmed its Special Victims Bureau is now handling the allegation. In a formal statement, the department said it is “in the process of gathering information, reviewing available evidence, and conducting follow up inquiries as part of a comprehensive investigative process.”
That’s two agencies, two parallel tracks.
Swalwell, a Democrat who represented a Bay Area district in Congress for over a decade, isn’t cooperating with the framing. His attorney issued a statement saying the former congressman “categorically and unequivocally denies each and every allegation of sexual misconduct and assault that has been leveled against him.” Swalwell hasn’t softened that position publicly, and nothing in his public statements suggests he will.
He resigned from Congress on Monday. The day before, he withdrew from California’s 2026 governor’s race, a contest where he’d positioned himself as a top-tier candidate before the allegations became public. Both exits came as additional women stepped forward with accusations of sexual misconduct or assault across multiple jurisdictions. LAIST reported that the investigations don’t stop at the California state line.
The Manhattan District Attorney has also opened a criminal investigation into Swalwell over a separate allegation that he sexually assaulted a woman in New York in 2024.
The West Hollywood allegation reaches back eight years. July 2018 is significant timing: Swalwell was a sitting U.S. representative at the time, actively raising his national profile before launching a brief presidential campaign the following year. Drewes says that’s when it happened. West Hollywood’s jurisdictional status, patrolled by the Sheriff’s Department rather than the Los Angeles Police Department, shapes which investigators and which prosecutors are positioned to eventually receive and file any case.
Whether California’s statute of limitations rules for sexual assault affect the prosecution timeline for events from 2018 is a question that will matter as the investigation moves forward. California significantly extended its statute of limitations for rape and sexual assault in recent legislative sessions, and prosecutors will need to assess whether the Drewes allegation falls within the current legal window.
Bloom, who has represented high-profile accusers in cases involving prominent men before, said Tuesday her client is prepared to cooperate fully with both agencies. Bloom didn’t leave room for ambiguity about where she stands on Drewes’ account.
The political fallout was swift. Swalwell’s 2026 gubernatorial campaign had real momentum before this week. He’d built name recognition from his years on the House Intelligence Committee and his role in Donald Trump’s first impeachment proceedings. That’s gone now. So is his congressional seat.
What’s left is a criminal process that’s barely started.
Hochman’s office hasn’t said when it expects investigators to present a case for prosecutorial review. The Sheriff’s Department hasn’t said how long its Special Victims Bureau expects the inquiry to take. Both agencies confirmed they’re moving, and both confirmed the public will hear from them when there’s something definitive to report.