A former CIA officer-trainee was acquitted by a Virginia jury of charges that he attacked a female colleague in a stairwell at the CIA’s Langley headquarters. The incident, which occurred in 2022, led to a flood of sexual misconduct complaints and reforms within the agency.
The defendant, Ashkan Bayatpour, was initially convicted of misdemeanor assault and battery but appealed for a full jury trial, which resulted in his acquittal. Bayatpour, a former Navy intelligence officer, expressed relief at the verdict, stating that being falsely accused had been a nightmare for him and his family.
