Los Angeles prosecutors weigh charges in sexual assault case against Eric Swalwell

Prosecutors in Los Angeles County are deciding whether to file criminal charges against former Rep. Eric Swalwell, a spokesperson for the district attorney's office confirmed Thursday. The office's sex crimes unit received the case from the sheriff's department on Sept. 21.

How the case reached prosecutors

The sheriff's special victims unit opened its inquiry in April. That came after Lonna Drewes, a former model who ran a fashion software company, stood with her lawyers at a Los Angeles news conference and accused Swalwell of drugging, sexually assaulting and choking her.

Swalwell, a California Democrat, left Congress in April and dropped his campaign for governor as several women came forward with assault and misconduct claims. He has denied all of them. In an April video he said the allegations were flat false and vowed to fight them.

His lawyer calls it routine

Defense attorney Sara Azari said Swalwell is innocent. She described the referral as a standard step rather than a decision to charge and said it is not a finding that he did anything wrong. She added that he welcomes an independent review and expects it to clear him.

Federal searches over the summer

FBI agents searched Swalwell's home in Washington in August and took an electronic device as part of a probe tied to misconduct claims. That same month agents with a warrant stopped him at the San Francisco airport and seized his iPhone and MacBook Pro.

No charges have been filed. Swalwell served 13 years in the House. Democrat Aisha Wahab won a June special election to finish his term and will face fellow Democrat Melissa Hernandez in November for a full two-year term.