Woman alleges Eric Swalwell drugged, raped her

April 15, 2026

Summary

A woman publicly accused former Rep. Eric Swalwell of drugging and raping her in 2018, and Los Angeles County investigators said they are reviewing the claim.

Why this matters

The allegation added to multiple misconduct claims against Swalwell as law enforcement and congressional investigators reviewed his conduct. The case also came as his political support collapsed and he resigned from Congress.

A woman accused former Rep. Eric Swalwell of drugging and raping her in 2018, allegations he denied through his attorney.

The woman, who identified herself as Lonna Drewes at a Tuesday news conference in Beverly Hills with her attorneys, said Swalwell invited her to a political event, but they went to his hotel room after he said he needed to get paperwork.

“I believe he drugged my drink. I only had one glass of wine,” Drewes said. “When I arrived at his hotel room, I was already incapacitated, and I couldn’t move my arms or my body.”

“He raped me and he choked me,” she said. “And while he was choking me, I lost consciousness, and I thought I died.”

Drewes said she did not get a rape kit, but told people close to her about the alleged assault, recorded it in her handwritten calendar, and discussed it in therapy sessions at a sexual assault center in Connecticut. She said the delay in taking action was “driven by fear” of his political power and background as an attorney.

Drewes said she had met Swalwell twice before the encounter and that he had offered connections to help her software company. “He was my friend,” she said.

Her attorney, Lisa Bloom, said they planned to immediately file a police report with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department. Later Tuesday, the department said its Special Victims Bureau was investigating a case involving an adult woman who reported being sexually assaulted by Swalwell in July 2018 at a business in West Hollywood. The department said it would present the case to the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office when the investigation is complete.

Swalwell announced Sunday that he was ending his campaign for California governor and said Monday he planned to resign from Congress. He officially resigned Tuesday.

Swalwell faced a House Ethics Committee investigation and an effort to expel him from the House. The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office also confirmed Sunday that it was investigating sexual assault allegations against him.

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The new point-of-sale product links in-store and online payments, and offers unified reporting and integrations with back-office systems, according to the company. Airwallex said businesses operating in multiple countries will be able to use the same payments system and reconcile transactions in one place.

Adyen offers a similar cross-border payments model. Legacy providers, including Fiserv and the combined Global Payments and Worldpay, remain major players among traditional retailers.

Whether companies already using Stripe or Square will switch remains unclear. Airwallex said it is targeting businesses that want to reduce the number of payments vendors they use across countries.