Yahoo News Sixteen Women Accuse David Copperfield of Sexual Misconduct
Magician David Copperfield faces allegations of sexual misconduct and inappropriate behavior made by 16 women, according to an investigation by the U.K. Guardian newspaper’s U.S. bureau.
The accusations include the illusionist having “drugged three women before he had sexual relations with them, which they felt they were unable to consent to,” according to the report. Half of the allegations made against Copperfield that date from the late 1980s to 2014 were made by women who insist they were under 18 years of age when they had encounters with the entertainer, with some women claiming they were as young as 15 years old.
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Copperfield has faced allegations of inappropriate sexual behavior in the past. In 2018, the magician denied historical allegations of sexual misconduct. “I’ve lived with years of news reports about me being accused of fabricated, heinous acts, with few telling the story of the accuser getting arrested, and my innocence,” he wrote on Twitter at the time.
Facing fresh allegations, Copperfield “denied wrongdoing of any kind” when asked by The Guardian for comment ahead of the publication of their investigation on Wednesday. His lawyers added Copperfield had “never acted inappropriately with anyone, let alone anyone underage,” while adding the newspaper claims that the magician touched women inappropriately were “not only completely false, but also entirely implausible.”
“Everyone that knows David Copperfield will tell you that these recent allegations from one newspaper are the exact opposite of who David is,” a rep for Copperfield shared in a statement. “In fact, David has a record of risking his career to help protect women from powerful predators. Most of these historic accusations have been made before, and all of them are as false now as they were then. David requested the “evidence” upon which these false allegations claim to rely and this has not been provided. By contrast, whenever US law enforcement has looked into such matters, they have been investigated thoroughly and it has been found that there is simply no case to answer. The Guardian’s characterization is not who David is, and he continues to support anyone who has experienced any form of abuse or discrimination. The movement must succeed, but false accusations must stop for it to flourish. David will be considering the position with his legal team and will take such steps as may be appropriate over these false and scurrilous allegations.”
Four of the women making accusations against Copperfield alleged they were groped or were made to touch the entertainer “in a sexual way during live performances on stage,” according to the newspaper report. Copperfield has regularly performed in Las Vegas and elsewhere worldwide.
The magician was also named in court documents related to the late Jeffrey Epstein.
9:18 a.m. This story has been updated with Copperfield’s full statement.
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