Rape is a heinous crime. It is the most unreported crime by both men and women. This crime carries a unique conscience to both; when the victims need to deal with their private lives being revealed to the world and a caricature challenge, and the accused has to deal with "Guilty until proven innocent." One must pose and ask: were those charges made by the people to benefit the public and their protection, or by a DA and ADA that put their career before the public interest?

Your name is never completely cleared, and it feels like walking on eggshells; life will never be the same again. The headlines at the time of the arrest included verbiage like "violent rape," "torture," "abuse," etc. while calling for "more victims" to come forward. My bail was set to 1 million dollars, and the "people" filed charges against me that carry a minimum of 5 to 25 years in jail.

It wasn't enough that two detectives rejected Ms. Celine Boulben's complaint. It wasn't enough that Ms. Celine Boulben didn't have any injury or marks to corroborate her story. It wasn't enough that there was no DNA of the "notorious rapist" on Ms. Celine Boulben's body. It wasn't enough that Ms. Celine Boulben did not cooperate with authority. It wasn't enough that, according to Ms. Celine Boulben's own story, no crime was committed in the eyes of the law. All of that wasn't enough for Mr. Perry, the DA/ADA. Then, an acquittal! No deal, no lack of evidence, but rather a straight-up acquittal, from 25 years hanging over my head to "you are free to go."

It's over, but is it really over? No. It's not. After a month or so, you realize that it will cloud individuals’ judgment every time you meet them, fill out an application, or apply for anything; whether it's a loan, mortgage, or even something as small as renting an apartment.

As a result of this, I suffered an immense impact that can't and never goes away. Following the arrest and the publicity, I had two bank accounts closed - one of which I had been working with for 15 years. I was denied my right to sit on the Board of Directors of my company during a very crucial time, allowing the partners to steal it from under me, which caused me tremendous losses to this day. I was denied bank loans and got rejected for a rental apartment. I was told that the board would never allow me to enter the building. Even Uber and Airbnb canceled my memberships; my reputation was tarnished.

And even then... this case, and more like that, resulted from an abuse of power. The power of a movement(MeToo) that was born to protect, shield, and restore a balance, loses some of its identity and often gets hijacked by others who see it as an opportunity to push their agenda; a power-hungry individual or corporation becomes a platform for blackmailing and intimidation all in the name of the movement.

Men and women are not enemies. Our existence depends on one another. The ease with which one can destroy another life “just because,” is alarming and needs to be dealt with. It causes growing suspicion and a lack of trust and threatens to rip society apart. False accusations make it worse. It must be remembered that a crime of this nature, a fake case or false accusation, discourages numerous legitimate cases from coming forward. Accusations must be taken seriously; however, an investigation must be done to ensure that an accusation is legitimate, especially knowing the repercussions to one's life. These implications don't leave the accused and stay even if acquitted in court. The Me-Too movement must be used to protect men and women from crimes of this nature, but it must not be used to intimidate, blackmail, and punish the innocent.