High-Speed Rail CEO arrested in Folsom hours after event with Gov. Gavin Newsom

Lia Russell, The Sacramento Bee on Feb 16, 2026

By clicking submit, I authorize Arcamax and its affiliates to: (1) use, sell, and share my information for marketing purposes, including cross-context behavioral advertising, as described in our Privacy Policy , (2) add to information that I provide with other information like interests inferred from web page views, or data lawfully obtained from data brokers, such as past purchase or location data, or publicly available data, (3) contact me or enable others to contact me by email or other means with offers for different types of goods and services, and (4) retain my information while I am engaging with marketing messages that I receive and for a reasonable amount of time thereafter. I understand I can opt out at any time through an email that I receive, or by clicking here

The CEO of the embattled California High-Speed Rail Authority was arrested this month at his Folsom home on suspicion of domestic battery, hours after appearing beside Gov. Gavin Newsom at a rail event in Kern County.

According to Folsom police logs, Ian Choudri, 57, was arrested just after midnight Feb. 4 following a domestic disturbance call to his home. According to police, officers were called to the home and took Choudri into custody on suspicion of battery of a spouse, a simple misdemeanor.

A spokesperson for the Folsom Police Department confirmed the arrest and said Choudri was booked and released from the Sacramento County Main Jail downtown.

It was not clear whether the Sacramento County District Attorney’s Office had charged him in the matter, and the case did not appear Monday evening in Sacramento Superior Court’s online index.

“The High-Speed Rail Authority is aware of the matter and is reviewing it,” a spokesperson for the agency said in a statement Monday night.

The arrest occurred hours after Choudri appeared with Gov. Gavin Newsom at a High-Speed Rail Authority facility in Kern County, where the governor touted progress on the long-delayed project and criticized the Trump administration’s decision to pull $4 billion in federal funding.

Newsom’s office referred a request for comment to the High Speed Rail Authority.

Choudri joined Newsom that day to announce the completion of the authority’s 150-acre railhead facility near Shafter, which will serve as a staging area for track construction in the Southern San Joaquin Valley.

Choudri was appointed CEO by the authority’s board of directors in August 2024. According to previous Bee reporting, he previously worked on large-scale construction projects in more than 18 countries.

The Governor’s Office, in a statement Monday night, referred questions about Choudri the rail authority.

Choudri did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

____