Source: Nicky Nelson/WENN.com / WENN
Celebrity electronic music DJ and producer Diplo is facing a new wave of headlines spurred by news of him being potentially charged for rape after accusations came to the attention of law enforcement in California.
As first reported by Buzzfeed News, the Los Angeles city attorney is now considering filing charges against the entertainer after police conducted an initial investigation into allegations of sexual assault. The investigation was sparked by a complaint by a 25-year old woman that was filed in October 2020. The complaint alleges that the 42-year old Major Lazer performer raped her in his hotel room after one of his shows in Las Vegas, Nevada. She also alleges that he recorded sexually explicit videos of her without her consent and distributing at least one. In addition, she alleges that he intentionally infected her with chlamydia. There were no criminal charges filed over the incident at the time, and the victim also detailed these allegations in both a civil lawsuit against the DJ and a temporary restraining order request that she filed earlier this year.
When contacted by the press, the representative for the Los Angeles city attorney, Rob Wilcox, said “We are reviewing the referral and have no further comment at this time.” However, they did state that they were considering also charging Diplo with an invasion of privacy as well as intentionally giving someone a sexually transmitted disease.
The DJ, whose real name is Thomas Wesley Pentz, has vehemently denied the accusations. “Yet more lies from the same disturbed individual who has been stalking and menacing Wes, his family, and his friends for years,” his lawyer Bryan Freedman said in a statement to the press after the news broke on Tuesday (October 5th). “As is well known, this person tried to extort Wes for millions of dollars and, after he refused to pay her a penny, launched an unceasing campaign of harassment against my client.”
