Gurbaksh Chahal, CEO of RadiumOne, attends a TechCrunch event in 2010. Photo via Kevin Krejci/Flickr
Gurbaksh Chahal, the CEO of IPO-hopeful advertising company RadiumOne, has walked away from more than 40 felony charges arising from the alleged beating of his girlfriend during a 30-minute attack in a San Francisco, California, apartment.
Chahal faced 45 felony charges and two misdemeanours following an arrest in August. At the time, he pleaded not guilty and posted bail of US$1m.
This week, Chahal pleaded guilty to the misdemeanours for domestic violence and battery. Security footage from his bedroom reportedly documents the event in question and allegedly shows Chahal hitting and kicking Juliet Kakish 117 times in half an hour. It is also alleged that Chahal tried to smother Kakish with a pillow.
However, judge Brendan Conroy ruled that the footage had been seized unlawfully by police, who had claimed it was taken without a warrant for fear it might be erased. It is also reported that Kakish declined to press charges.
With no felony conviction to his name, Chahal can remain on the board of RadiumOne, where he acts as chair. The serial entrepreneur sold two previous advertising companies for a total of US$340m by the age of 25. RadiumOne is his third ad-tech venture and is reportedly planning a US$100m IPO, though a filing has yet to be submitted to the US Securities and Exchange Commission.
Chahal will not serve jail time for the offence but instead has been given three years of probation and 25 hours of community service. He will also have to take part in a domestic violence training programme for one year.
