Foster City woman accused of lying about rape to stand trial in January

FOSTER CITY (Map, News) - A January trial date was confirmed today for a 23-year-old San Mateo woman accused of lying to police about being raped in Foster City in June.

Karyn Galila told Foster City police she had been attacked by a group of men the night of June 12 when her car broke down in the area of Chess Drive and Foster City Boulevard. She later admitted to police no sexual assault had occurred.

Galila is charged with two misdemeanor counts of filing a false police report, according to Chief Deputy District Attorney Steve Wagstaffe.

The first count is for her initial report at the scene of the supposed rape, and the second is for when she reiterated those alleged lies in an interview with sexual assault investigators at the Keller Center for Family Violence Intervention in San Mateo.

Wagstaffe has declined to discuss the reason for Galila's alleged misstatements, saying only that prosecutors believe her motive involved her own personal relationship.

In addition to a potential six-month county jail sentence, prosecutors will be seeking several thousand dollars in restitution to the Foster City Police Department for investigation expenses, according to Wagstaffe.

A jury trial for Galila is set to begin Jan. 22 at 9 a.m.

— Bay City News