An executive at telecommunications giant Ciena was charged in December on allegations of sexual assault while he was in Ottawa, police records show. 

Steven Haley, vice-president of global supply chain at Ciena, was arrested on December 6, 2025 and charged nine days later for an alleged assault reported to have happened in Ottawa on August 19, 2025, according to the records. Haley, who is based in the U.S., is scheduled to appear in court later this month. 

The allegations have not been tested in court. 

Multiple sources told The Logic that the alleged victim was an employee of Ciena at the time of the alleged assault, but that she no longer works at the company. The timing of her departure roughly coincided with Ciena announcing company-wide layoffs to cut its workforce by about five per cent. The alleged victim’s identity is protected under a publication ban. 

Haley’s lawyer David Anber said his client “disputes the allegations and is currently navigating these active court proceedings where he is presumed innocent.”

Ciena spokesperson Nicole Anderson told The Logic that the company used a third party to investigate a complaint related to the alleged assault. “The investigation ultimately did not corroborate the claim that was raised with the company,” Anderson said. She added that the company had made the decision to lay off the alleged victim before the complaint was filed.

Ciena is a publicly traded U.S. networking company that supplies hardware and software used by telecom carriers, cloud providers and large enterprises. The Hanover, Md.-based firm is listed on the New York Stock Exchange and reported US$4.8 billion in annual revenue in its most recent fiscal year. Its latest annual report shows it employs about 9,000 people worldwide, including more than 2,700 in Canada, according to LinkedIn, where the company hosts the majority of its physical assets. Ciena opened a sprawling research and development facility in the Ottawa suburb of Kanata in 2017, which is among its biggest properties globally. 

Haley has served as vice-president of global supply chain at Ciena since 2022, according to his LinkedIn profile. Sources told The Logic that, as of April 1, he was still employed at Ciena.