Nathan Abate has been convicted of three counts of sexual assault. According to RAINN (Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network), that makes Abate a 7 in 1,000 statistic. Out of every 1,000 instances of rape, only 13 cases are referred to a prosecutor, and only seven result in a felony conviction. Is it any wonder most rape victims don’t bother reporting their assault?
Judging from the way Abate’s defense attorney, Scott Taylor, mistreated the witnesses against his client, why would a victim want to retraumatize themselves? Taylor alleged that “Ashley Doe”—who accused Abate and his co-conspirator, Julian Contreras (who fled to Mexico and remains at large), of forcible rape—”unleashed a social media mob” and recruited other alleged victims to corroborate her accusation. The case against Abate and Contreras stemmed from a 2022 Instagram post in which “Ashley” accused the two of assaulting her and a friend a decade earlier. Soon, similar allegations from approximately 40 other women streamed in.
“She tainted this case from the beginning,” Taylor argued, “by not letting the police do their jobs. You saw my behavior towards Ashley versus all the other victims. There’s one thing that makes me mad and upset and that’s when you’re messing with my client’s court rights.”
Interesting perspective, Scotty-boy. You know what makes me mad and upset? When men abuse women and get away with it.
Another victim, “Lauren Doe,” alleged Abate assaulted her when she was 14 after she snuck off to a party without her mother’s permission. Taylor attacked the victim by claiming she falsely accused his client to stay out of trouble: “The easiest thing in the world to lie about: I was sexually assaulted.”
Wow. The accused are entitled to a vigorous defense, but the way we treat victims is disgusting. Abate is finally in jail, and will be sentenced on Nov. 12.
His newish wife, Brandi Lee started a GoFundMe campaign and states they’re both “faithful Christians.” Congrats. She noted the crimes he’s found guilty of occurred 16 years ago when he was 20 (her math’s a little off). Does that forgive it? On social media in response to a post from Gabby Everett Castaniero, who claims Abate assaulted her 16 years ago when she was underage and believes Abate has brainwashed his new wife, Lee wrote, “You are insulting us and his entire family.”
Being a victim of sexual assault is the crime that keeps on giving. When are we going to start believing women?
I hope Abate found Christ and will be inspired to speak the truth during sentencing—although judging from his wife’s commentary, that seems unlikely.
On a less tragic note, I’m feeling a very Shakespearean “plague o’ both your houses”-vibe about the upcoming Oceano Community Services District (OCSD) races and the face-off between the Capulets and the Montagues, er, sorry, I mean Save Oceano and OCSD President Charles Varni. These two factions seem unable to play nice in the little Oceano sandbox. Should these toddlers be making adult decisions?
Save Oceano, which is endorsing OCSD board member Shirley Gibson for the presidency, wants you to know that Varni is “NO BUENO!” They’ve erected signs saying so everywhere they can, and saveoceano.com makes clear that Varni’s behavior has been “chaotic and destructive.” They claim he violated the Brown Act, ran off two general managers and two law firms, isn’t respected by staff, and has called members of the public “dogs and thugs.”
Varni claims Save Oceano’s attacks against him qualify them as “hate group.” I’m not sure he understands the definition. In an email he wrote to residents he said, “The website clearly expresses a demonization of me which is mythological in scale and a ridiculous characterization, except is very serious and hateful. It is the work of Adam Verdin. He owns a restaurant in Oceano (Old Juan’s), a public relations agency, is Vice-Chair of South County Chamber of Commerce, owns the largest hanger [sic] at the airport, and has plans to develop Oceano. He is also positioning himself to challenge [District 4 SLO County Supervisor] Jimmy Paulding in 2026. In fact, my election is a proxy for his upcoming battle with Paulding.”
Verdin responded in an email, “I don’t own or lease any hangar at all in Oceano. No, I don’t have plans to develop the Oceano airport. In fact, I have worked to keep it open. Ironically, the only group that once thought development was a good idea was the Oceano Advisory Council under Mr. Varni’s leadership. No, I do not own a public relations/advertising business. That is my wife’s sole and separate, woman-owned business. No, I did not form the Save Oceano Committee, and I do not control it. My connection to it is that I donated $400 and allowed them to place a ‘Varni No Bueno’ sign on the edge of our property. No, the website saveoceano.com is not my work. I did not develop it, my wife’s firm has no connection to it, I do not own the URL, and I do not control the content. No, I have not made a decision to run against Mr. Varni’s sole endorser, Supervisor Paulding, although it’s true that I’m often asked to consider it.”
Sorry, Oceano citizens! You’re caught between a vial of poison and a dagger. Δ
The Shredder says, “Wherefore art thou justice?” Chime in at shredder@newtimesslo.com.
This article appears in Pet Issue 2024.
First, I’m happy about Abate’s conviction and can’t imagine the horror these young ladies suffered. They are brave beyond compare to stand up against him and the system that certainly appears to need corrected.
I know little about Oceano but with the continued circus changes need to be made. Perhaps community leaders including the group can encourage more qualified people to run in the future.