<\/p>\n
Ian Choudri, the CEO of the California High-Speed Rail Authority, speaks about the completion of a railhead facility near Shafter, Calif., on Tuesday, Feb. 3, 2026. Choudri was arrested later that night at his Folsom home on suspicion of domestic battery, according to police logs.<\/p>\n
California High-Speed Rail Authority<\/p>\n
High-Speed Rail Authority CEO Ian Choudri went on leave Tuesday, one day after it was reported that police arrested him and his fianc\u00e9e earlier this month.<\/p>\n
Rail authorities confirmed Monday that they were investigating Choudri after Folsom police arrested him and Lyudmyla Starostyuk<\/a> after someone called 911 and accused Starostyuk of pulling Choudri\u2019s daughter\u2019s hair and locking her out of their home.<\/p>\n The Sacramento County District Attorney\u2019s Office declined to press charges after police arrested Choudri and Starostyuk on suspicion of misdemeanor battery of a spouse.<\/p>\n Allen Sawyer, Choudri and Starostyuk\u2019s attorney, said neither of them was asked to appear in court and that authorities considered the matter \u201cover.\u201d<\/p>\n Still, Choudri voluntarily agreed to go on leave from the rail authority as of Tuesday, while the rail authority\u2019s parent agency, the California State Transportation Agency, investigates, according to a memo obtained by The Sacramento Bee.<\/p>\n \u201cDuring this temporary period, Chief of Staff Mark Tollefson will assume responsibility for day-to-day decision-making of the Authority,\u201d High-Speed Rail Authority board chair Tom Richards wrote to rail staffers.<\/p>\n \u201cOur work continues without interruption, and our priorities remain unchanged. Thank you for your continued professionalism, focus, and dedication to delivering this important project for the people California.\u201d<\/p>\n A bullet train agency spokesperson said Choudri was unaware of \u201cany evidence of wrongdoing,\u201d and that his leave was of his own volition.<\/p>\n \u201cWe are taking this matter seriously, consistent with our longstanding commitment to public responsibility, transparency, and accountability,\u201d the authority said in an email. \u201cThe California High-Speed Rail Authority\u2019s work continues without interruption, and our priorities remain unchanged.\u201d<\/p>\n Consulting ties to rail authority<\/p>\n Starostyuk recently joined KPMG, a financial services firm that is advising the High-Speed Rail Authority, as an advisory manager, according to her LinkedIn. She previously served as a business professor at a Denver university.<\/p>\n According to a contracts and expenditures report from last month, KPMG\u2019s $24 million contract with the bullet train is for financial advisory services.<\/p>\n It was not immediately clear whether Starostyuk worked on or was connected to that contract. A rail authority spokesperson did not immediately respond to questions about whether her role posed a potential conflict of interest under agency policy.<\/p>\n Starostyuk\u2019s attorney did not immediately respond to a request for comment.<\/p>\n This story was originally published February 17, 2026 at 7:24 PM.<\/p>\n Related Stories from Sacramento Bee<\/p>\n
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