Lawyer: Javier Loya "unequivocally and categorically denies" pending criminal allegations
Texans minority owner Javier Loya faces serious criminal charges in Kentucky, including one count of rape and five counts of first-degree sexual abuse. Loya's lawyer has denied the allegations on his client's behalf.
Via Brooks Kubena of the Houston Chronicle, attorney Andrew Sarne said Monday that Loya "unequivocally and categorically denies these allegations and will vigorously defend his innocence."
Sarne also claims that Loya has “voluntarily taken” and “100% passed" a polygraph test. But that's a potentially misleading remark.
First, no one ever "involuntarily" takes a polygraph test. Second, polygraph tests are not and never have been admissible evidence, because they are sufficiently unreliable to mean anything. Third, without confirmation from someone other than the person's lawyer that the test was passed, it's hard to accept at face value that: (1) the test was passed; or (2) that there was even a test.
The arrest warrant for Loya was issued on May 10. The date of the alleged incident has not yet been disclosed. As Kubena notes, it's also unclear whether there is one alleged victim, or more than one.
Loya posted bail and pleaded not guilty on May 16.
Via Kubena, Loya previously served on the league's diversity committee. The NFL's statement on the matter indicates that Loya was removed from all committees after the charges were filed.
A pretrial conference is set for August 22. A trial date has not yet been set.
Loya is one of 10 Texans limited partners. He became a limited partner in 2002, the year the team was founded.
Amazingly, the situation stayed under wraps for nearly three months. It's possible, if not likely, that the media in Louisville covering the criminal courts did not realize that Loya was a part owner of an NFL team. And the media in Houston had not caught wind of it.
The matter came to light after a reader in Houston provided PFT with a tip on Sunday night. We then worked to confirm with the team or the league that Loya was indeed the defendant. Frankly, the process took much longer than it should have taken, especially if both the team and the league knew about the situation since May 10 — and if they were (as they should have been) bracing for an inevitable question from someone in the media.
