A fifth accuser has come forward with potential criminal charges against former Congressman Eric Swalwell, one day after he announced his resignation from the House, and two days after he suspended his bid for California governor.

Lonna Drewes, a former model and software engineer, says that Rep. Eric Swalwell drugged and raped her in 2018, after they had met several times and he showed interest in helping her with her fashion software company. At a news conference in Beverly Hills Tuesday, with attorneys beside her, Drewes described having one glass of wine with Swalwell at a bar in Los Angeles, after which he asked her to accompany him back to his hotel room so he could retrieve something.

"I knew he was married at the time and that his wife was pregnant. He was my friend," Drewes said, per KTVU.

She claims that when she arrived at the hotel room, "I was already incapacitated and I couldn’t move my arms or my body." She remembers Swalwell sexually assaulting her, stressing that she "did not consent to any sexual activity."

"He raped me and he choked me," Drewes said. "And while he was choking me I lost consciousness and I thought I died."

Drewes explained that she did not undergo rape testing or make any accusations at the time for fear of retaliation. But she says she discussed the incident with close friends and noted it in her personal calendar.

"My delay in taking action was driven by fear, not doubt," Drewes said. "Fear of his political power, his background as an attorney, and his family law enforcement ties. I have never doubted what happened. I stand with the other women who have come forward."

As the New York Times reports, within two hours of Drewes making her accusation public, Swalwell announced that his previously annouced resignation from Congress would be effective as of 2 pm Eastern Time.

Drewes is the second woman to make an explicity claim of rape against Swalwell, and the fifth woman so far to come forward with allegations of sexual misconduct against him.

One former staffer says she was 21 years old in 2019 when Swalwell, fresh off his short-lived presidential bid, assaulted her one night when she was blackout drunk in an East Bay hotel room. That woman, who has not been publicly named, gave her account to the SF Chronicle and subsequently to CNN.

CNN also reported on claims made by three other women, including one who had a similar story of waking up in a hotel room with Swalwell and not remembering what had occurred.

Two of the accusers, Annika Albrecht and Ally Sammarco, spoke to CBS News Monday saying they felt vindicated by the revelations of recent days.

Albrecht had helped spur the initially mostly right-wing rumors about Swalwell two weeks ago, when she shared a video describing misconduct by Swalwell. She tells CBS she felt compelled to do so because she was "physically sick and nauseous" at the idea that Swalwell could be elected governor.

Albrecht says that she was inundated within hours with messages from other women describing inappropriate behavior by Swalwell, including one who described "full-on assault," who may have been Drewes or the woman who came forward Friday.

"He thought he was untouchable," Sammarco tells CBS. "He acted with total impunity. He never thought that the consequences of his actions would follow him."

And, she added, "I think we just prevented another 30 to 40 years, potentially, of him harming people if he were to stay in Congress. As governor, he would have had even more power and more authority."

Swalwell now may face sexual assault charges in three jurisdictions, if not more. District attorneys in Alameda County and New York are investigating the claims made by the former staffer, regarding assaults that took place in 2019 and 2024, respectively.

Previously: Eric Swalwell Resigns From Congress, But Says That Effort to Swiftly Expel Him Is 'Wrong'