David Copperfield accused of rape

What happened

Magician David Copperfield is being investigated by a federal grand jury following accusations that he raped, assaulted, and threatened an aspiring model. A 21-year-old Seattle, Washington woman claims that she was approached by a member of Copperfield’s entourage at one of the magician’s shows, led to a special seat, and picked to go up on stage as part of his act. According to the woman, Copperfield later promised to help her with her modeling career and invited her to visit him at his private island resort near the Bahamas, saying there would be other guests there as well. The woman alleges that there were no other guests at the resort, that Copperfield raped and hit her during her two-day stay, and that he warned her not to tell anybody. When she arrived home in Seattle, she told her parents what had happened and went to a sexual assault center. The National Enquirer reports that Copperfield offered the woman a $2 million settlement, which she turned down.

What the commentators said

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It sure does seem like Copperfield’s guilty, said Catherine Bird on the blog YourHub.com. After all, why did he offer this woman “$2 million dollars to keep quiet”? On top of that, why did she refuse it? If there wasn’t “some truth to the woman’s story, I’m sure he could afford defense attorneys who would make mincemeat of her claims.” And only time will tell, but “what if this Seattle woman is only the first to file charges against Copperfield?”

This accusation seems a little fishy to me, said the blog CelebritySmack.com. Let’s not forget that this girl is an aspiring model. Isn’t it possible that she’s looking for a way to jumpstart her career? I’m not crazy about David Copperfield, “but I smell a shakedown by an obsessed fan who wants her time in the spotlight.”

It’s all just “he said/she said” at this point, said the blog CeleBitchy.com. But however this turns out, it won’t be good for Copperfield. “We may never know what really happened” because Copperfield’s accuser “didn’t get the necessary evidence against him by going to the hospital after she said she was attacked”—she waited too long. But even if Copperfield is proven innocent, “he’ll always have the stigma of a rape accusation hanging over his head.”