A former Google employee faces two criminal charges after authorities accused him of sexually assaulting a coworker who alleges he put something in her drink while the two were in Minnesota for a coworker’s wedding.
Antony Sun Liwanag, 33, of San Francisco, faces two counts of third-degree criminal sexual conduct in Minnesota after authorities alleged he sexually assaulted a coworker during a July trip, as Minneapolis’s Fox9 reports. Authorities have requested a warrant for his arrest, citing concerns that he poses a danger to public safety.
According to the criminal charges, the woman was in the Minneapolis area for a coworker’s wedding on July 2 and attended a party ahead of the ceremony. Afterward, Liwanag invited her to another bar.
According to Fox 9, the woman told police Liwanag brought her a drink from the bar, which she suspected had been tampered with after she began feeling unusually intoxicated and disoriented.
The woman and Liwanag were reportedly seated toward the back of the bar, where she told police she was trapped between Liwanag and the wall. He allegedly began kissing her without her consent, reaching under her dress and fondling her while she tried to push him away and told him no.
The charges state that Liwanag later ordered an Uber to take them to the woman’s hotel in the city of St. Louis Park, per Fox9. She allegedly tried to tell him she did not want to leave with him, but she was having difficulty controlling her body and collapsed outside the bar.
Hotel surveillance footage showed the woman appearing severely impaired and unable to walk independently, according to the charges. Liwanag allegedly carried her into the hotel and dragged her toward an elevator while she appeared limp and unable to stand.
Fox9 reports that once inside the room, Liwanag allegedly attempted to assault her again. The woman was able to resist, with the charges describing how she managed to “thrash around and push herself away.”
She reportedly returned home the following day without attending the wedding.
Liwanag's LinkedIn profile states that he was hired for a strategy and operations position at Google DeepMind in July, the same month the alleged assault occurred. He previously worked at YouTube for three years and held strategy and operations positions at Google and Southern California Edison.
A Google spokesperson told the Chronicle Tuesday that Liwanag no longer works at the company.
The Chronicle notes that under Minnesota law, third-degree criminal sexual conduct can include sexual penetration involving coercion or circumstances in which the accused knows, or has reason to know, that the other person is mentally impaired, mentally incapacitated, or physically helpless.
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