Enrique Javier Loya, a minority owner for the Houston Texans football team, has been charged with rape and several counts of sexual abuse. He will face a pretrial hearing on Aug. 22 but has denied all allegations.
"We are aware of the serious charges filed in the Commonwealth of Kentucky against Javier Loya, one of our outside limited partners," the Texans made clear. "We have agreed with Mr. Loya that while these charges are pending, he will remove himself entirely from any team or League activities."
The National Football League also released a statement about Loya's legal woes. "The club promptly notified the league of the serious pending charges against Mr. Loya after they were filed," the NFL said.
"Mr. Loya has not been permitted to participate in any league or club activity during this process. He is no longer on any league committees," the statement added.
Loya's defense attorney Andrew Sarne claimed his client "unequivocally and categorically denies these allegations and will vigorously defend his innocence." Loya was recognized as the first Hispanic owner in the National Football League when he joined in 2017.
Sarne claimed in a statement issued Tuesday that there are "possible racial overtones" in the allegations made against Loya, NBC News reported. The case broke after Loya responded to an arrest warrant that was issued on May 10 of this year.
'"The allegations were made in May 2022," Sarne explained. "It took the Commonwealth [of Kentucky] more than a year to indict. Mr. Loya made the highly unusual offer to sit down with law enforcement and answer any and all questions," he added.
"That offer was rejected, and Mr. Loya was indicted with no notice whatsoever. He was not ever informed that any Grand Jury was considering his case," Sarne said.
The defense attorney cited "possible racial overtones to the allegations, with at least one complaint of an assault by a group of Mexicans." This connection is significant as Loya is of Mexican heritage.
"Mr. Loya will continue to work through the legal process and looks forward to clearing his name," Sarne promised. The 53-year-old is free on $50,000 bail after entering a not guilty plea, ESPN reported.
Besides his reported 1% stake in the Texans, Loya is also the CEO and co-founder of OTC Global Holdings LP. He was named Broker of the Year in 2022 and has held the title for five years running.
Regardless of how prestigious Loya's professional titles are, the details of the alleged crime shared by WDRB-TV are disturbing. Loya allegedly assaulted "multiple women" that he hired as models from an agency for two poker parties held at his home.
These women claim they were touched and violated in a sexual manner against their will by a callous Loya. However, like all defendants, he is innocent until proven guilty, even if that doesn't apply in the court of public opinion.
