Prominent Phoenix attorney accused of groping woman after political event
Oct 9, 2018, 4:42 PM | Updated: 8:25 pm
(Phoenix IDA Photo)
(Phoenix IDA Photo)
PHOENIX — A politically active Phoenix attorney was arrested for allegedly drunkenly groping a woman giving him a ride home from a primary election night event, according to court records.
Sal James Rivera, 49, was charged with felony sexual abuse and misdemeanor assault for the Aug. 28 incident, according to a police form submitted to the Superior Court of Arizona.
The document said Rivera had been ejected for drunken behavior from a gathering at 1505 E. Van Buren St., the location of Roland’s Cafe Market Bar.
Roland’s was the primary night headquarters of Democratic gubernatorial candidate David Garcia.
An unnamed woman agreed to drive Rivera home in his car, according to the probable cause statement.
The woman told police that Rivera, from the backseat, made sexually suggestive comments, touched her neck and breast and pulled at her hair.
She pulled over at a convenience story and got out of the vehicle before contacting two people on the phone and telling them what happened.
While she was out of the car, Rivera got behind the wheel and drove away. The report said the two people contacted by the woman, as well witnesses on the scene, corroborated the details.
Rivera was arrested Sept. 25. When interviewed by police, Rivera said he drank excessively the night of the incident and recalled being at the restaurant, but he didn’t remember what happened later or how he got home.
Rivera is president of the Phoenix IDA’s board of directors. The nonprofit group’s board is appointed by the mayor and city council. Rivera has been on the board since 2009.
According to its website, the Phoenix IDA “builds public/private partnerships to increase job opportunities within the community, support education and healthcare, and provide housing for underserved communities.”
According to the website of Rivera’s law firm, he was appointed by then-Gov. Janet Napolitano in 2008 to serve as the founding president of the Arizona Economic Resource Organization, an economic development organization.
In 2008, Rivera received the President’s Award from the State Bar of Arizona.
