California High-Speed Rail Authority CEO arrested for domestic battery

FOLSOM, Calif. — The Folsom Police Department says the Chief Executive Officer for the California High-Speed Rail Authority, Ian Choudri, was arrested for domestic battery.

Police say the arrest happened on Feb. 4 in the 500 block of Borges Court in Folsom. They add that the violation is a misdemeanor.

Allen Sawyer, Mr. Choudri’s attorney, said the Sacramento District Attorney’s Office didn’t file charges after receiving the incident report from Folsom PD. The Attorney’s Office also declined to file charges against Lyudmila Starostyuk, Choudri’s wife, according to Sawyer.

An Authority spokesperson released the following statement:

The High-Speed Rail Authority is aware of the matter and is reviewing it. We have no other comment at this time.

Choudri was appointed by the Authority’s Board of Directors in August 2024.

According to the Authority’s website, before joining the Authority, Choudri had an extensive career working on construction projects related to rail, telecommunications, highways, energy, defense, airports and seaports.

Sawyer confirmed that no charges were filed and thus the situation was dropped. The case will not be pursued further. 

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