Palo Alto Tech Executive Required to Carry Electronic Monitoring Device

Former Cuberon CEO Abhishek Gattani entered a plea deal to a domestic violence charge last month.  The Santa Clara County judge required as a condition of his plea agreement that during his probation he must abstain from drinking alcohol and carry an electronic monitoring device which also tests for alcohol at least four times a day.  The device utilizes face recognition technology and a breathalyzer.  The plea deal included 30 days in jail with credits for time served.  He has to pick up trash in addition to the other terms of his settlement.  The case, heard at the Santa Clara County Superior Court, stems from Gattani’s arrest over a year ago.
The couple is currently involved in a custody dispute over their young toddler.  Gattani had previously been convicted of domestic violence in 2015.  In the current case, he faced two felony counts of domestic violence, but prosecutors felt they might have difficulty proving all elements of the case if it went to trial.  Gattani’s plea of no contest to felony “accessory after the fact” and a misdemeanor “offensive touching” charge left some feeling that the sentence was too light, particularly since it was his 2^nd offense.  The first domestic violence related incident was reduced by prosecutors to disturbing the peace after he completed a 52-week domestic violence class.  The Judge in the current case did grant prosecutor’s wishes to have Gattani report five months earlier than expected to complete his jail sentence.