World famous magician David Blaine Under NYPD Investigation Over Sexual-Assault Allegations
Citing a "senior NYPD official with knowledge of the probe," The Daily Beast reported Monday that Blaine is being investigated by the department concerning two claims of sexual assault. The senior official told the outlet that the department's Special Victims unit has taken statements from two women.
"At least one of the claims may fall outside the statute of limitations: a woman told detectives she was sexually assaulted by Blaine inside his Manhattan apartment in 1998, according to a person familiar with her complaint," The Daily Beast reports.
Neither Blaine nor the NYPD offered an official statement on the reported investigation. Saying he has no comment, Blaine noted that he hasn't been approached by the department, while the NYPD offered only a generic statement stressing that it takes sexual assault allegations "extremely seriously and urges anyone who has been a victim to file a report so we can perform a comprehensive investigation, and offer support and services to survivors."
In October 2017, The Daily Beast exclusively reported allegations against Blaine by former model Natasha Prince, who has apppeared in ad campaigns with Louis Vuitton and Levi's, among others, and now works as an art dealer in New York. Prince said that after meeting Blaine shortly after her 21st birthday, he invited her to a friends' place for drinks. After he offered her something she said "wasn't strong" and "tasted mostly like soda," she said, he invited her back into a bedroom.
"At this point in our conversation, she burst into tears, and we took a 10-minute break to get some air," The Daily Beast's Mark Ebner reported. Blaine then allegedly kissed her. "I did kiss him," she said. "And then he said, 'Finish your drink' and took the glass from me and put it on the table, and that’s really the last thing I remember." She went on to describe feeling "limp" and "floaty" as he had sex with her from behind.
"Officers from the Met’s Child Abuse and Sexual Offences Command are investigating an allegation of rape," Scotland Yard told the outlet in a statement. "The allegation was reported to police on 17 November 2016 by a woman who alleged she was raped at an address in Chelsea in June or July 2004 when she was aged 21. There have been no arrests at this stage and enquiries continue."
Blaine denied Prince's allegations, his lawyer saying in a statement: "My client vehemently denies that he raped or sexually assaulted any woman, ever, and he specifically denies raping a woman in 2004. If, in fact, there is any police investigation, my client will fully cooperate because he has nothing to hide."
After taking statements from both parties, Scotland Yard declined pressing charges in September 2018.
