'Ruined My Life, My Business': Tulsa Man Relieved After Sexual Assault Charges Dropped Against Him

A Tulsa man has a great sense of relief after prosecutors dropped all the charges against him.

Nabil Alame faced eight counts, including rape and sexual battery, after several of his employees made accusations against him.

Alame’s attorneys say all of those allegations were proven to either be consensual or just not true.

Alame says Monday marks the end of a five-month-long nightmare, and now, he’s focused on getting back on his feet and moving forward.

Prosecutors dropped all eight charges against Alame filed in April.

Alame owned a restaurant and bar in downtown Tulsa called The Goat, and the women who accused him were all employees.

His attorneys say these allegations cost Alame his reputation and his livelihood, since the restaurant closed after the charges were filed.

"I feel like I got my life back,” said Alame. “The last five, six months, I basically didn't have no life. Ever since all of this happened, my life turned upside down."

Alame’s attorneys say the Tulsa Police investigation was gross negligence, and had problems from the start.

"Normally, in these type of investigations, they will vet all of the allegations,” said Brett Swab, one of Alame’s attorneys. “They normally will interview the witnesses, they will have various exams performed if that's possible, and they will usually reach out and talk with the suspect. Or at least have an opportunity to talk to the suspect. None of those things were done in that case."

His attorneys say it’s important for victims of sexual abuse to come forward, but all accusations need to be investigated thoroughly.

"We see a trend of cases like this, false allegations coming forward, and they're really life altering,” said Jay Swab, also an attorney on this case. “I can tell you that I've known our client for about six months now, and his life has been uprooted because of this."

"As a community, we need to take a breath and stop being so quick to judge,” said Brett Swab. “It's unfortunate, but I think it's a reflection of this cancel culture and social media. I mean, our client has had death threats."

The Tulsa County District Attorney’s Office sent News On 6 a statement saying in full:

“This case was dismissed after further investigation from Tulsa Police Department Special Victims Unit detectives. The evidence discovered by the detectives necessitated the dismissal of the charges.”

Alame’s attorneys say that evidence was known by police for months.

They released the following statements to News On 6:

“The District Attorney’s Office of Tulsa County, Okla. dismissed all criminal charges today against our client, Nabil Alame, co-owner of The Goat Bar and Kitchen. Following a rushed five-day investigation by the Tulsa Police Department (TPD), Alame was charged on April 10, 2024 with three (3) counts of First-Degree Rape, three (3) counts of Filming And Distributing Obscene Material and two (2) counts of Sexual Battery based entirely on unsubstantiated allegations made by a group of former employees who happen to be lifelong friends. “We want to be crystal clear: it is our firm belief that every charge, especially those alleging sexual assault, should be thoroughly and fully investigated to ensure that not only the rights of the alleged victim, but also those of the accused, are adequately protected,” said Brett and Jay Swab, Alame’s attorneys at Swab & Stall.

“The Tulsa Police Department’s five-day investigation was grossly negligent and lacked any semblance of proper police protocol,” said Brett Swab. Here, TPD conducted its investigation based on unsubstantiated allegations—including several interviews that were collected simply by phone without any further investigation to verify their validity. Prior to referring the case to the DA’s Office, TPD possessed exculpatory evidence which it seized from the alleged victims and the accused that included videos, photos, text messages, audio recordings, emails, social media data, etc. Said evidence unquestionably proved all charges to be false. Specifically, one of the main alleged victims fully recanted her allegations of rape altogether. In sharp contrast to TPD, Texas law enforcement investigated an almost-identical allegation against our client by one of the same alleged victims as referenced in TPD's affidavit. There, following a thorough two-month investigation, charges were declined and the matter was closed. “It is abundantly clear that if the assigned TPD detective and the Tulsa County DA’s Office had properly investigated this case, reviewed all the evidence and fully vetted all allegations, no formal charges would have been filed,” said Jay Swab. The Goat Bar & Kitchen in Tulsa was forced to close due to overwhelming negative publicity surrounding Alame. Even more alarming, Alame has received death threats as a result of this case.

“Our client’s reputation and livelihood were destroyed, costing him both personally and financially – he has lost everything. Moreover, on a larger scale, the mishandling of these types of investigations helps to perpetuate a toxic ‘cancel culture’ that, in the end, make it more difficult for those legitimate victims to come forward,” said Brett Swab. “Sexual assault accusations are serious for all parties involved and should be treated with the highest standards by the law enforcement community to ensure the integrity of our criminal justice system; this was not done in this case, and appears to be part of a larger, highly concerning trend of individuals abusing the legal system with no regard for the legal and life altering consequences.” Five months after Alame’s arrest, a third prosecutor was assigned to the case. After conducting a complete review of the evidence (that existed prior to the case’s filing), all charges against Alame were dropped. “We are thankful justice has arrived for our client, and we are even more grateful there was evidence to prove these allegations were fabricated by all the alleged victims,” said Brett Swab. “Our client would take issue with the DA’s statement that ‘new evidence’ came to light in this case. The fact is, the DA’s Office had the evidence to exonerate our client back when the charges were filed. The only thing that is new, is that they actually took the time to look at the evidence nearly six months after the investigation started. Those are the facts—period.”’

"I got arrested at gunpoint,” said Alame. “Went and spent a night in jail. Went out, was all over social media. Ruined my life, my business, the brand we were building all of these years.”

Related Coverage:

1. New Ownership Coming To Tulsa Restaurant, Bar After Former Co-Owner Was Arrested
2. Tulsa Restaurant Owner Accused Of Sexually Assaulting Employees Appears In Court
3. Tulsa Restaurant Owner Arrested, Accused Of Sexually Assaulting His Employees