Jane Doe shares story accusing prominent Sacramento businessman Ethan Conrad of sexual assault

CBS News

18 hours ago

Prominent Sacramento businessman Ethan Conrad is facing mounting legal troubles. Six women have filed civil lawsuits against the millionaire real estate developer, alleging he did terrible things to them.
CBS13 discovered that on August 8, Sacramento County sheriff's detectives interviewed a woman who accused Conrad of sexual assault. Remaining anonymous, she sat down with CBS13 to share her story.
She is listed as Jane Doe in court documents. She said that hearing the other alleged cases encouraged her to come forward.
"It feels like a double-edged sword, 'oh, I'm not the only one,' " Jane Doe said to CBS13. "You know, when it happened, I felt like no one is going to believe me. We were drinking. I'm young. This man is well-known in the community."
Jane Doe said that in 2009, she, her then-boyfriend and a friend met with Conrad for dinner at a Sacramento restaurant.
She said that after an argument with her boyfriend, Conrad offered to take her and her friend back to his place. She says what happened next became a blur of horror, confusion and shame that kept her silent for 16 years.
"I woke up the next morning and my friend told me, as we were leaving, what she believed happened, what she heard happen, and I was in disbelief. I did check myself and that's when I did smell the condom smell," Jane Doe said.
Within the last year, five other women have filed lawsuits against Conrad. Three of them also accuse him of drugging and raping them.
Two years after Jane Doe's alleged attack, one of Conrad's business partners, listed in court documents as Jane Smith, recalls similar details. In court documents, she said that a business meeting with Conrad at a restaurant ended with just the two of them at Conrad's house.
In court records, Jane Smith alleges a "sudden onset of extreme dizziness" that was "disproportionate" to how much champagne she had. She said she woke to widespread bruising across her body and persistent pelvic pain that lasted two months. She worried she wouldn't be able to bear children.
Eleven years later, a single mother alleges a similar story. In court documents, the mother, listed as Jane Roe, said she met Conrad online in 2022. They texted for several months, and then he invited her to his place.
CBS13 sifted through court documents listing crude, disturbing claims. The single mom said that Conrad gave her a shot of tequila that "tasted differently." Jane Smith said he laughed, saying "it was an expensive brand from Mexico."
She remembers feeling "heavy" and "drowsy" with "no ability to defend herself." She submitted text messages to the court, allegedly from Conrad in the following days. Some are too graphic to share as they go into detail about what he said he allegedly did to her that night, followed up with him asking, "Aren't you on birth control anyway?"
"Hearing their stories, I absolutely believe them because that was exactly what happened to me," Jane Doe said.
The three other women are listed as Jane Roe 2, Jamie Doe, and Penelope Poe in their court documents.
I talked with Conrad over the phone. He said that success has made him a target. He wouldn't go on camera, but sent an email saying, "there's been no evidence produced by the opposing counsels or the plaintiffs that I am guilty of any wrongdoing at all and I have overwhelming proof that I am innocent of all charges."
Conrad also wrote, "With regard to the civil cases, there have been no evidence produced by the opposing counsels or the plaintiffs that I am guilty of any wrongdoing at all and I have overwhelming proof that I am innocent of all charges... I am very confident that the civil cases will end up being dismissed."
When asked what her response is to Conrad, Jane Doe said, "No one would want to put themselves through this for monetary reasons. This is not easy to do."
Jane Doe said she never went to the police, and there's no medical evidence she was drugged or sexually abused.
"I've never been in touch with Ethan ever again, either," said Jane Doe, reiterating that she never confronted him.
When I talked with Conrad over the phone, he questioned why some of the women didn't come forward sooner. In the case of the single mom, she submitted text messages to the court claiming he threatened a lawsuit if she continued to make accusations against him and alleged that he made it clear his prominence would be used to punish her. In her case, she did file a police report and said she has medical records confirming a sexual assault.
Jane Doe's case may be the only one with a purported witness. She said that her friend, who was there that night, told her what happened.
"It seems like he felt invincible for a long time," Jane Doe said. "I was told he was a Sacramento elite and has a lot of connections and has a lot of money to make things that are not putting him in a good light go away."
Jane Doe said that there's an odd comfort in believing she's not alone, giving her confidence that others will believe her now. But she said she feels guilty that she didn't come forward sooner.
"Even though I'm here now and people say I'm so strong, I don't feel strong. There's women who came before me. That's the only reason why I'm coming now. I would've kept that to myself," she said.
Jane Doe filed her lawsuit against Ethan Conrad in civil court. As far as any criminal charges, the Sacramento County District Attorney's Office said it has received reports from detectives about Conrad, but they can't comment any further.
Again, Conrad told CBS Sacramento via text and email that he is completely innocent of all the allegations.