State Sen. Alvarado-Gil makes bombshell claim in litigation with ex-chief of staff Condit
More astounding allegations have emerged in the litigation between state Sen. Marie Alvarado-Gil and a former staff member from Stanislaus County.
In a countersuit last week, Alvarado-Gil, 50, charged that former chief of staff Chad Condit made threats of violence to her, saying he knew how to make “people disappear” and was personally responsible for the unsolved disappearance and slaying of Chandra Levy, the countersuit alleges.
Alvarado-Gil, who represents the 4th Senate District, including Stanislaus and 12 other counties, charged that Condit had problems with alcohol use and possible abuse of prescription drugs, which also contributed to his dismissal in December 2023.
In September, Condit, 57, charged in a wrongful termination lawsuit in Sacramento Superior Court that Alvarado-Gil forced him to perform sexual favors for her. One of the sexual acts, in a car, resulted in a serious back injury for Condit, his lawsuit alleges.
Ognian Gavrilov, Alvarado-Gil’s lawyer, told The Sacramento Bee that the allegations of sexual harassment and other claims in Condit’s lawsuit are completely unsubstantiated and outlandish. The senator’s cross-complaint against Condit was filed Nov. 12.
A law firm representing Condit did not return messages Monday seeking comment on the senator’s bombshell allegations. Condit could not be reached. In a statement to the Los Angeles Times, his attorney called the allegations meritless and baseless.
“This appears to be another attempt to retaliate against Mr. Condit and cause him and his family harm for daring to stand up to her and blow the whistle on the senator’s misconduct,” attorney Arya Rhodes wrote.
An eventful couple of years in office for the senator
The explosive litigation is part of a rocky two years in office for Alvarado-Gil, who scored a surprise victory in the November 2022 election to capture the seat.
She began her term as a Democrat but switched to the Republican Party in August, stating that the Democratic majority in Sacramento lacks the will to remedy problems such as organized retail theft.
In May, Alvarado-Gil accused Chad Condit’s son Channce Condit, a Stanislaus County supervisor, of violating county ethics and conflict-of-interest policies in connection with the approval of $5 million in state funding for infrastructure improvements in south Modesto. The senator suggested that Channce Condit leveraged family connections in seeking state funding.
The Condits have denied any wrongdoing, and County Counsel Tom Boze has said there was nothing wrong with the application for the state funding.
Alvarado-Gil claims in her countersuit against Chad Condit that his alleged alcohol and drug abuse and unpredictable behavior became more pronounced over time, causing her to fear for her personal safety. Condit was the senator’s chief of staff for a year, ending in December 2023.
The suit suggests that Condit suffered a back injury during a vacation trip to Disneyland in March 2023, which caused noticeable physical limitations when he returned to work. The then-chief of staff was expected to drive the senator to events as part of his job duties.
According to the countersuit, the vehicles Condit drove sometimes contained empty bottles of alcohol or prescription drugs. Condit also carried a firearm in the vehicle, the countersuit alleges. In time, the senator said she declined to ride in a car with her chief of staff, creating a burden on other staff members.
Alvarado-Gil brought her concerns about Condit to the California State Senate’s human resources department in June 2023.
According to her countersuit, Alvarado-Gil felt sorry for Condit and gave him opportunities to improve his behavior. After Condit allegedly appeared drunk at a district office holiday party in Modesto last December, the senator asked for his resignation.
According to her suit, Condit became furious and told the senator he knew how to make people disappear and indicated he was involved with Levy’s disappearance in 2001. Alvarado-Gil looked into the Chandra Levy case and “began to live in constant fear of the cross-defendant,” her court complaint says.
Levy, a graduate of Davis High School in Modesto, was an intern in Washington, D.C., and had an alleged affair with then-Congressman Gary Condit of Ceres, who is Chad Condit’s father. In a case that captured the national spotlight, Ingmar Guandindique, an undocumented immigrant from El Salvador, was charged and convicted of Levy’s death in 2010. But he was given a second trial and the case was later dismissed.
The intense media attention partly focused on Gary Condit, but he was never a suspect.
This story was originally published November 18, 2024 at 5:07 PM.
