Magician David Copperfield faces accusations of drugging women before sex, fondling women during live shows and engaging in inappropriate behavior with women much younger than him — including under 18 — in a new investigative piece in The guardian.
The story contains allegations from 16 women, spanning four decades, from the 1980s to 2014. More than half of these women said they were under 18 at the time of the alleged incidents, with the two youngest victims they claim to have been 15 at the time (although there was no evidence to suggest that Copperfield knew their ages when they met).
One of those 15-year-olds, identified as Carla (not her real name), said Copperfield “groomed” her for more than two years after giving her his phone number after a 1991 show. The magician allegedly he often called home and sent her cards and gifts, including one, which Carla received when she was 16, that said: “In 2 years I'll be back.”
Copperfield was the first person Carla had sex with after she was 18, she said. A year before, Carla claimed to have had an encounter in Copperfield's limo, during which she said the magician kissed and pushed her head against his crotch (Carla said she thought Copperfield thought she had already turned 18). . “I wasn't forced to, but I remember feeling uncomfortable as I'd never done it before,” Carla said.
She added: “I was a young schoolgirl in love with a man who was famous and I think he used that to his advantage. Why would he continue to contact me all these years if he wasn't planning to dump me as soon as I turned 18?''
Copperfield's lawyers have denied all the allegations against him as “false and completely unfounded”, adding that he has “never, ever acted inappropriately with anyone, let alone a minor”. (As for Carla in particular, they denied the grooming claim and called the pair's relationship “consensual.)
Still, the magician's lawyer accused The guardian of running a “hit piece” filled with claims that are “totally unsupported by any proper evidence.” They also noted that “many false allegations” had been made against Copperfield, none of which had been proven. They said such behavior “is the opposite of everything [Copperfield] he defends and works hard for it.”
Many of Copperfield's victims said they met the magician at his shows. Several former employees recalled the magician asking assistants to find attractive young women in the crowds and ask them to either join the shows or meet Copperfield afterward. A former assistant said she resigned because of Copperfield's behavior towards women and teenage girls. another said he started asking women in the crowd their own age and, if they were under 18, told them to go back to their families.
Along with a denial from Copperfield's lawyers, other former employees — including an executive assistant and his former security director — said they never saw anything unusual or inappropriate.
Four women who did join Copperfield on stage said that, during the performance, the magician either made them touch him in inappropriate ways or fondled them. One woman, Lily, said Copperfield touched her breast on stage when she was 15, an incident her father and sister said they recalled testifying to the crowd. Another woman, Olivia, said she was 17 when Copperfield touched her “between the anus and the vagina” over her clothes while leading her on stage. he compared it to a “service” ploy. (Copperfield's lawyers called this claim “patently absurd.”)
Gillian said she was in her 20s when Copperfield chose her to join him on stage for a stunt in the early 90s. Afterwards, as they waited in line for an autograph, one of the magician's assistants reportedly asked them if they wanted to join Copperfield for a drink later. Gillian said they later arrived at Copperfield's private suite at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, where they were given a glass of sambuca. Jillian said she started feeling “weird, physically weird” after one drink and, after that, “everything was just a blur… I literally blacked out for a while, and I don't do that.”
Gillian said she remembered “patches” between the blackouts, including memories of Copperfield having sex with her and her friend. Gillian said she believed neither she nor her friend were in a position to consent. (Along with denying the allegation, Copperfield's lawyers and several of his former employees said he did not use or carry drugs for any reason.)
“I'm 56 now,” Gillian said. “I've never had a moment in my life that I don't consciously remember [a period of time] … I would never have just told somebody if I didn't really, honestly believe in God that I was drugged at the time.”
from our partners at https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-news/david-copperfield-accused-sexual-misconduct-inappropriate-behavior-1235021493/