Wednesday, January 15, 1997

Police charge woman who falsely accused Cowboys

By MADELINE BARO / Associated Press Writer (Jan. 15, 1997)

DALLAS (AP) - Police filed charges Tuesday against a woman who falsely accused Dallas Cowboys Michael Irvin and Erik Williams of sexually assaulting her at gunpoint.

Nina Shahravan, 23, of Mesquite, could face a maximum of six months in jail and a $2,000 fine for making a false report to police, a misdemeanor offense.

Ms. Shahravan told police that Williams and another man raped her while Irvin held a gun to her head at Williams' Far North Dallas home on Dec. 29. Police acknowledged the charge at a Dec. 31 press conference and named the two players as suspects.

When confronted with evidence that Irvin couldn't have been at Williams' house at the time Ms. Shahravan claimed, she recanted her story last Friday. Police announced soon after that confession that there would be no charges.

Police spokesman Ed Spencer said Ms. Shahravan wouldn't necessarily be arrested on the Class B misdemeanor.

"I think she'll be afforded an opportunity to go to the county and post bond," he said.

Dallas County prosecutors said Tuesday afternoon that they had received the charges from the police and were reviewing them.

A man who answered the telephone at Ms. Shahravan's parents' home Tuesday said she was not there. The woman has been in hiding since she made the initial accusation.

Williams' attorney, Peter Ginsberg, said he hopes the charge against Ms. Shahravan doesn't signal an end to the investigation.

"I hope that law enforcement authorities are pursuing the possibility that there were others who acted in concert with the complainant and I also hope that authorities are examining the police's own conduct in this investigation," he said Tuesday.

Irvin attorney Royce West said the charge against Ms. Shahravan "needed to be done."

"I am pleased because I believe very strongly that this woman has set back the issue of sexual assault victims 100 years," West said.

Ginsberg and West both said their clients were considering lawsuits.

"We are considering legal action not only against the woman but we are examining whether Erik's civil rights were violated by the city of Dallas police department," Ginsberg said.

The case and its handling by the police and media brought up a number of ethical issues, particularly regarding the release of suspects' names before charges are filed.

Anantha Babbili, chairman of the journalism department at Texas Christian University, said a central issue regarding how reporters handled the case was the credibility of sources.

The story emerged after Ms. Shahravan contacted a television reporter. Police acknowledged the allegations after the television report.

"We have an obligation, first, not only to bring out new information on anything and anybody but to really validate and recheck and crosscheck and dig into the credibility of our sources of information," he said.

He said he hoped the incident would serve as a learning experience.

"I hope something really good comes out of it," he said. "I think this gives us a good idea of how we can restructure and recoup as an institution. I think the media will really be cautious next time."