A winery partly owned by Rep. Devin Nunes (R-CA) is now in some legal trouble after a charity event allegedly involving cocaine and sex workers, according to the Sacramento Bee.
The lawsuit is from an employee of Alpha Omega Winery, who was asked to work a 2015 charity cruise on the San Francisco Bay. What may have begun as a charity event was filled with men who "appeared to be doing cocaine and 'drawing straws' for which sex worker to hire" the lawsuit says. The cruise was part of a night that was auctioned off at a fundraiser. The winning bidders were allegedly “important investors in Alpha,” the lawsuit revealed.
The staffer, Alene Anase, described the sounds of "sexual activity" happening in bedrooms and saw one man "fondling and suckling" sex workers' breasts. She noted that the sex workers also seemed to be “too young to consent" to the activity.
She alleged that several John Does that are listed in the lawsuit also tried to tell her to “provide services of a sexual nature." Under normal circumstances, she could simply have walked out or walked away. In this case, however, she was on the water and unable to get to shore.
She then phoned the winery asking for help. A higher-ranking staffer told her to "lie low" to avoid harassment.
When the charity cruse ended the men then had the sex workers line up "on the deck of the yacht, reviewed out loud and in detail the sexual services performed and paid them in front of Plaintiff.”
The winery ultimately settled the suit and Kelly Carter, director of communications, said that the terms are confidential. She also took a shot at the allegations themselves and attempted to protect Nunes from being linked.
"Rep. Devin Nunes is one of a few friends (Baggett) invited to invest in the winery in 2005. None of the investors has ever been involved with the management of the company. Robin is the sole managing partner and ultimate decision maker at Alpha Omega," Carter said. "Robin has made a point to never mix politics with the business of Alpha Omega. Our business model is simple: grow great grapes, make great wine, hire great people and provide our customers with a great experience."
She said no one on board had a connection to the winery.
The Alpha Omega Foundation has raised nearly $1 million through the auction, which benefits charities throughout Napa, California and the yacht has been donated numerous times.
It's unclear how much of the winery or foundation is owned by Nunes, but there are 49 other investors.