Trump adviser Boris Epshteyn was accused of repeatedly groping a woman and her sister in police bodycam footage showing the women describing the alleged assault to officers at nightclub in Scottsdale, Arizona, then police handcuffing and arresting Epshteyn.
The Arizona Republic reported that the prominent Trump adviser and media booster was arrested in the 2021 incident revealed in the bodycam video.
The outlet obtained footage of a blurred-out 27-year-old woman talking to an officer, describing a “Tony Soprano-looking dude” and saying that, “all night, he’s been touching me and my sister, especially my sister. He kind of cornered her and grabbed her and just making her super uncomfortable.”
The woman described Epshteyn’s actions as “touching [my sister’s] chest, touching her hips, touching her crotch,” and she recalled telling him “stay away from my f*cking sister!” She said Epshteyn continued grabbing her sister, “pulling her into his crotch,” and he kept touching them despite both women telling him to stop and trying to get away from him.
The footage shifted to the officer interviewing a gentleman about the incident, then it cut to the officer telling Epshteyn to sit on the curb in front of the club. When he was told that he was accused of touching women inappropriately, Epshteyn denied the allegation as the officer explained that he was being detained.
The officer and his colleagues kept telling Epshteyn to remain seated through his detainment when he repeatedly asked if he could stand up. The video goes on to show Epshteyn being identified, having his Miranda rights read to him, getting handcuffed, and then being led into the back of a police van as he was being arrested for “disorderly conduct.”
The Republic reported that Epshteyn was charged with “assault touching, attempted sexual abuse, harassment-repeated acts and disorderly conduct-disruptive behavior or fighting. The first three charges were dismissed, but Epshteyn pleaded guilty in Scottsdale City Court to disorderly conduct and served probation. The conviction was set aside by the court in January 2023.”
The outlet also reported that Epshteyn has a history of legal trouble in Scottsdale: he was charged with “assault touching” during a fight at another club back in 2014.
“Epshteyn signed a plea deal, agreeing not to have contact with the victim and not to return to the venue, to pay court fees, and to complete 25 hours of community service… In the 2021 case, he was sentenced to five days in jail but credited with time served if he completed 11 months of probation, completed an alcohol program, paid a fine and avoided contact with the two women.”
Watch the clip above via The Arizona Republic.
