New claims surface
David Copperfield has entertained Las Vegas holidaymakers for decades with his magic shows but new allegations have cast a dark shadow over his legacy.
His name cropped up earlier this year when officials released documents relating to the sexual abuse case of business mogul Jeffrey Epstein. Witnesses in those documents claimed that Copperfield attended Epstein’s house for dinner and may have known about his child trafficking system to find young girls for sex.
Some of them suggest they were “groomed” or even sexually assaulted while 16 or younger
Now, a new report from The Guardian is throwing even more dirt at the 67-year-old magician. The UK publication investigated claims made by multiple women who say they were abused by Copperfield. Some of them suggest they were “groomed” or even sexually assaulted while 16 or younger.
16 accusers come forward
In total, 16 women have alleged sexual misconduct and inappropriate behavior by Copperfield spanning four decades, from the late 1980s to 2014. More than half of the accusers say they were under the age of 18 at the time of the incidents, while the youngest were 15, two of which are named Carla and Lily.
Carla and Lily were still in high school when they met Copperfield in the early 1990s. Now 40, they explained how Copperfield behaved inappropriately with them during and after those meetings. Copperfield supposedly gave Carla his phone number after a show in 1991 and proceeded to shower her with gifts and notes. Copperfield would then go on to have sex with Carla when she turned 18.
left her having nightmares about Copperfield for years
Meanwhile, Lily claims the magician touched her inappropriately on stage in front of her family sitting in the front row. She was left disturbed by the incident, which left her having nightmares about Copperfield for years.
Many other allegations mirror those of Carla and Lily. Three other women claim the entertainer groped them during live performances. Another claims he took her hand and placed it on his buttock when she was just 16. Like in Lily’s case, her family watched on from the audience. In other instances, such as with Carla, Copperfield supposedly pursued contact with women despite their age differences.
Three other women claim they were drugged before having sexual relations with Copperfield.
A firm denial
Copperfield’s team of lawyers have denied all of the allegations against him. As reported by The Guardian, they said Copperfield has “never, ever acted innapropriately with anyone, let alone anyone underage.” The Guardian has not found any direct evidence that Copperfield knew Carla and Lily’s exact ages when they say they met him.
Copperfield’s lawyers also noted that “false” allegations have been made against the magician in the past without any charges brought against him. Here, they are referring in part to 2018 claims made by former model Brittney Lewis, who suggested that Copperfield drugged and sexually assaulted her in 1988.
alleged Copperfield raped and sexually assaulted her on his private island
Additionally, in 2007, a woman named Lacey Carroll, who met Copperfield when she was in the audience of a show, alleged Copperfield raped and sexually assaulted her on his private island. Her report triggered a two-year FBI investigation that was ultimately dropped in 2009.
The lawyers went on to claim that their client was a major advocate of women’s rights before even the rise of the #MeToo movement.