Copperfield is an ass, but I seriously doubt he likes kids. When I lived in Vegas he used to come to the gym I worked at and would have his bodyguards (4 of them) use the surrounding machines so nobody would come near him. As if. He is also a serious anorexic.
Nothing would surprise me. And certainly not in Vegas.
Yeah, I have my doubts, too. "Sexual misconduct" covers a broad range of behaviours, right up to refusing to let a "playmate" leave the house when he/she wanted to (and yelling "rape" after as a result). If it was really pedophilia, I think that would've been leaked almost immediately & the press jumping all over it. I mean, look what happened to Elton John when a couple pics of naked kids turned up in an artist's portfolio that he owned -- the press was all over that.
Lets not assume the person making the claim is lying. It seems people always assume the person who is claiming rape is lying when it is a celebrity in order to receive money, it is like an automatic thought.
It may be that the celebrity did rape the person and assumed everyone one will believe the person is only after his money.
Ok, updated story. Its a grown woman making the allegation. Could be. He is a ocntrol freak from hell from what I remember. That doesnt necessarily mean rapist though. I wonder what the raid was all about?
She's lying. There's never any reason to believe any woman who makes uncorroborated abuse claims against a celebrity; she's above the law.
I read that they seized cash. What relevance would a stash of cash have to do with allegations of rape?
I haven't discounted or bought the accusation wholesale. If the FBI finds nothing, here's what should happen -- the accuser should be named and prosecuted under any laws that apply and Copperfield should sue like crazy. He's got the money to afford litigation lawyers from hell, and remember -- he did win the defamation suit against Paris Match, when that magazine claimed he was gay.
(A side note -- those gay rumors may dispelled once and for all, now. I'd bet Copperfield would have preferred any refutation of such talk other than this.)
If there's a fire making what looks like smoke here, get ready for one of the weirder celebrity scandals since the Michael Jackson trial.
This will be interesting. The rich and famous are often accused due to their wealth. Yet, in the same vein, I've seen many rich and famous people take advantage of those who are less fortunate. It could go either way.
I, too, find the raid interesting. How does that relate to a rape that took place out of the country? Perhaps Copperfield told this woman somethings that the FBI might want to know?
I will be watching 
David Copperfield is the master of illusion. If he can make an airplane or the Statue of Liberty vanish in thin air he can surely make himself scarce. If not his fat wallet should be able to make the charges disappear.
Kim, when the blog entry was initially posted (and when me, Nancy & Melissa made our first comments), there was no word or news on the Seattle woman; all that was stated was the raid being due to "sexual misconduct allegations". Steve's updated the entry since then.
However, I find it suspicious that the supposed crime happened in the Bahamas, yet the victim *waited* until she was home to report it? Hello? Maybe it's just me, but as a woman, I wouldn't WAIT to report something like that -- especially if I knew who it was. Something's really wrong there.
I agree, its hinky. Whats the raid all about. They dont seize the assets of rapists, convicted or otherwise.
I don't find the reporting of rape in US odd at all. I mean, think about it. Rape is a feeling of absolute loss of control. Add to that being in a foreign land where the rapist feels most comfortable and he's a celebrity who owns the land, and I'd want to get myself out of there ASAP and back to the safety of my family, friends and country, (where I understood the law), to gain back some control over the situation. I have no clue as to whether the charges are true, but she would have to be a nut in the highest order to let it slide this far out of control, (FBI involvement), if lying. Obviously that CAN and DOES happen. We haven't seen FBI involvement though in the other cases that come to mind.
I think it should be a felony to report a rape if false. Not sure all the bench marks for proving that it was a lie that would have to be followed in order to charge, but believe strongly that accusing someone of this falsely should be treated severely since it can absolutely ruin someone's life.
I'm sure this will get weirder before it gets resolved.
Chris:
I wouldn't go to the police in the Bahamas (or any country south of Florida) re a sex crime, especially if I wasn't a native, and the man involved is rich. The US is only starting to take sex crimes seriously--I can just imagine what it's like in the Caribbean and elsewhere. We forget how corrupt/dangerous our vacation playgrounds actually are until something like Natalee Holloway occurs.
Melissa:
You might not be aware of the fact, but carrying around huge mounds of cash (oh,like 2 million dollars) on your person, or having it lying about, can get you hauled in for questioning & the money confiscared by the Feds. It's part of the War on Drugs legislation. There is a set $$$ that is legal to carry on you without being questioned--I forget what it is, but it's sizable. You have to have paperwork to prove where or what the funds relate to (like payroll), or they can seize it to make sure it's being properly accounted for (ie you're not hiding income or evading taxes, or using it to launder money and/or buy contraband like drugs or kid porn). I only know this bit of arcana because I remember reading about a couple of Amish farmers who had been arrested traveling into Canada on a train or something with more than the permitted amount on them--they were detained and questioned to see if they were dope dealers. Although there *are* Amish meth dealers out there, turns out these guys were just buying livestock for their farm or something and don't use checks or credit cards.
He wasnt carrying it around. It was in his safe.
Whether or not the accusation is false, FBI resources are tight and they don't waste them frivolously. They wouldn't have sought a search warrant unless they saw some merit to the complaint they were receiving.
Some interesting tidbits:
From cnn.com: "Earlier Friday, Seattle police said the FBI raid on the warehouse stemmed from an accusation in a police report filed by a Seattle woman over the summer concerning an incident that allegedly took place in the Bahamas."
From the Jakarta Post: "JAKARTA (Antara): David Copperfield, the most famous U.S. magician and illusionist, will return to Jakarta to perform before his Indonesian fans at Istora Senayan, from Oct. 23 to 28, 2007."
A comment posted at radaronline.com: http://tinyurl.com/38635o "I'm glad to see this. I went to one of his shows with my wife, and after selecting her out of the audience for a trick on the show, he invited her backstage afterwards. There he got her phone, email, and other info on the premise that he might do a show in our city and might use her in the show again. When they came out from backstage, my family posed for photos with him. After returning home, he commenced to email my wife, inviting her to visit him at his Bahamas Island, followed by phone calls. What an ass! I was suspicious of why he selected her from the audience, and especially when he talked her into giving him contact information. It's clear he makes a habit of this and doesn't care whether his targets are married or not. I hope they nail his ass to the wall.
Posted by: BobE on October 19, 2007 8:28 PM"
And another comment at tmz.com: http://tinyurl.com/2f4nbq
"12. About 10 years ago, my then 18 year old sister was working for a theater where Copperfield was performing. She told me how he began hitting on her HARD, and tried to get her to go back to a hotel room with him. She thought he was a perverted slimeball, and got away from him ASAP.
Doesn't matter to me whether you believe it or not, but my sister has always been honest with me; I have no doubt to the veracity of the accuser and her version of events.
Posted at 7:48PM on Oct 19th 2007 by ratass"
I think the 2 million dollars and the rape allegations are seperate issues, even though the media and FBI are leading us to believe otherwise.
I am unsure if the rape allegations have any truth to them. How are they to prove this? She could prove (via soiled undergarments) that she had sex with Mr. Copperfield, but how can she prove it is rape so long after the fact? The case is suspect and tainted from the start, IMO.
The seized money on the other hand. That seems to say that there might be something shadey going on. What is the FBI going to do, if they find nothing criminal on that hard-drive and backup storage? They can't win a rape conviction against him based on "he said/she said". Not without other proofs. I'll wait to see what else there is for evidence that might prove what she says, but I am skeptical. A person who does shadey things with money is not synonymous with rapist.
Adding, and of course part of me wishes that the muddy he said/she said cases where the woman really *is* raped could be successfully prosecuted. However, I can see that it would be abused by some people also. But, to be convicted there must be some kind of evidence presented to the court. If there are witnesses or other proofs that can put him in the same place the woman was, and he weasals and says he wasn't there or never spoke to her, *that* lends credence to her. As it stands now though, it is he said/she said and the law wants proof. *sad*
Emerson -- I agree with your thought that there should be penalties for people who bring false calms on another. However, it has to be balanced out where the justice system can't be used in reverse to scare honest victims into silence. It's such a fine line.
I like your thinking, E.
Melissa:
Doesn't mater if it's in a private safe or not. Most drug dealer caches are in private safes. If a search warrant is issued and money above that pre-set limit is found during the search--it's confiscated. If Copperfield can prove he's already paid taxes on it (or is doing so) or it relates to his business (payroll, etc.) he'll get it back. Most rich people don't have this kind of cash just sitting around their homes, much less their warehouses. Usually its in a bank or a money market account, or the stock market, drawing interest, instead of being an item *of* interest. Unless he likes to play Jed Clampett, and keep hundreds of thousands of dollars in his pants pockets as "walking around money".
The FBI has now come out and said that no money was taken in the raid. No 2 Million... the press got that wrong. I am not a fan but I find the rape allegations hard to believe.
Nancy Collins said:
Chris:I wouldn't go to the police in the Bahamas (or any country south of Florida) re a sex crime, especially if I wasn't a native, and the man involved is rich. The US is only starting to take sex crimes seriously--I can just imagine what it's like in the Caribbean and elsewhere.
Nancy, I wonder if her reluctance to report the assault immediately had anything to do with the following? From the INSIDE EDITION article Steve quoted:
"Copperfield says the fountain of youth is located somewhere on a chain of four islands in the Bahamas that he bought last year for $50 million..."
Heard Pat Lalama stating on one of the talking head shows last night (Nancy Grace?) that the incident was indeed alleged to have taken place on one of Copperfield's islands.
Hmmmmm...
Velouria:
Yeah, well, there ya go. It's good to be the king.
BANGKOK, Thailand - David Copperfield has canceled upcoming shows in Southeast Asia following an FBI search of his Las Vegas warehouse and a casino theater where he regularly performs.
http://tinyurl.com/ytk5qx
According to the article Copperfield's lawyer, David Chesnoff, has said the allegations "are false because David Copperfield has never forced himself on anyone."
Forgive me, but I'm still trying to figure out how the FBI would have JURISDICTION over an alleged crime that happened in a foreign country.
As to the money that wasn't siezed, it is NOT unlawful to have cash on hand. Even two million dollars. As long as he can prove where the money came from, and that he's paid taxes on it, it's all good. There is no law that states you have to keep ANY of your money in a bank, or elsewhere. For the amount of money one can assume he's made, I don't find 2 million to be strange. Hell, maybe he paid cash for his islands...BTW, he isn't the only celebrity who owns an island.
As to the rape allegation....it's just that.....an allegation. I may be jaded by the Duke lax hoax, or the Uncle Kracker hoax (charged with sex assault - penetration - yet pleaded to simple assault) but I have a harder time believing women who call rape, but don't report it until way later.
The FBI has jurisdiction over crimes committed abroad if the victim is an American. The charges would be handled by Federal courts.
Interesting. Thanks, Missmerlyn. However, it's my understanding that the FBI is to ASSIST with the country in which a crime has taken place, not take over the investigation. Of course, the Bahamas aren't even investigating, at this time, so the FBI has essentially usurped Bahama, IMO.
"The FBI currently has 23 legal attache offices around the world. The work of these offices is essential to thesuccessful fulfillment of the international role of the FBI and to securing U.S. interests. The mission of the FBI's legal attaches is to pursue the international aspects of the FBI's investigative responsibilities throughliaison with the principal law enforcement and intelligence/security services in the host countries. Theserelationships enable the FBI to develop information necessary to deal effectively with organized crime,terrorism, foreign counterintelligence, white-collar and violent crimes.The FBI's presence overseas has increased as a result of the growth in international crime and the expansion of FBI jurisdiction to deal with that crime. The Comprehensive Crime Control Act of 1984 and the OmnibusDiplomatic Security and Anti-terrorism Act of 1986 created extraterritorial jurisdiction for investigating hostage taking, murder, manslaughter, and serious bodily injury crimes directed against U.S. nationals abroad."
Very interesting comments on www.gawker.com in their initial story on this. One person commented on their sister or fiance being one of those women selected to participate. He commented that she received numerous calls from David and/or David's staff regarding meeting.
Soobs: Since both the victim and the alleged perp are both Americans, the ball goes to the FBI, not the LE of the country where the crime was committed.
Nancy, the following information is taken from Congressional hearings. It is specific to cruise lines, but I don't see how it wouldn't apply as well, to a foreign country, especially.
"The FBI investigates sexual assaults as defined in Title 18 of the United States Code (USC), Sections 2241through 2243 and 2244 (a) and (c). Since April 1, the cruise lines have reported 41 instances of sexual assault. Of these 41 incidents, 19 represented allegations of sexual activity generally categorized as rape, three of which occurred on shore, and, thus, outside the jurisdiction of the FBI.
http://tinyurl.com/37hx59
Of course, the sexual assaults referenced all have to take place "in the special maritime and territorial
jurisdiction of the United States or in a Federal prison." I'm still looking for law that says the ball goes to the FBI automatically.
I been there, I done that. How we tell the story?
Well, where there's smoke there's fire:
http://tinyurl.com/32pzaf
Same story that has been purported by numerous people on the Net and elsewhere as to his methods for luring this woman to the Bahamas. She apparently was all alone with him on this secluded island when this occurred. If I had not heard other stories that were similar before this came out I'd be suspicious, but it at least makes her story more conceivable. The FBI may find more women coming out of the woodwork to confirm the methods.
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