Nick Carter From Backstreet Boys Accused Of Rape By Melissa Schuman
Melissa Schuman, a former member of girl band Dream, accused Backstreet Boys’ Nick Carter of raping her in 2002. Carter has denied the claims. Around the time of the reported incident, Melissa was filming The Hollow with Nick. She alleges the following, according to The Daily Beast.
“[Nick] threw me on the bed and climbed on top of me. Again, I told him that I was a virgin and I didn’t want to have sex…He was relentless, refusing to take my no’s for an answer. He was heavy, too heavy to get out from under him. Then I felt it, he put something inside of me.”
After the assault, Melissa was at a loss for exactly what to do, saying that “there was no blueprint to how to protect yourself in the situation that I was in.” She describes how she avoided Nick as much as possible and told family and friends about the incident.
And when she reached out to her manager Nils Larsen about the allegations, Larsen reportedly convinced her to not press charges. He said that Nick’s legal team would surpass her because she didn’t have enough money to get the attorney she needed. Nils also allegedly guilted her into saying that her allegations could shut down the production of the movie she was filming. Not only that, her manager reportedly warned, but she would also lose credibility and would look “fame hungry” and lose a lot personally and professionally.
EXCLUSIVE: Melissa Schuman accused Backstreet Boy Nick Carter of rape. And then "the vultures came out." From @ahzimm: https://t.co/7jdBVg85eJ
— The Daily Beast (@thedailybeast) August 16, 2018
So, unfortunately, Melissa never spoke out publicly about the rape, until now. In December, she posted about the incident on her blog Melissa Explains It All. She also says that the Santa Monica Police Department has presented the case to the D.A.’s office, which may lead to charges being pressed against Carter.
For Melissa, however, the incident has had far-reaching consequences that have affected many facets of her life. She says that she was impacted not just emotionally and psychologically, but physically as well.
She also has heard from other victims, but addresses that not everyone wants to come forward with their accusations. Melissa understands this all too well, because she battled with the process of going public with her story too. However, she said that the catalyst for speaking out was when she read a piece by Radar Online titled “Nick Carter Once Investigated for Sexually Assaulting Fan, 20, at House Party.”
https://twitter.com/FamousOnBlast/status/1027515395555684352
For now, it appears that Backstreet Boys aren’t finding it difficult to find work. Another Backstreet Boys member, Brian Littrell, even said to TMZ that “Unfortunately there are fame seekers that are out there. This situation, he’s been forthright and honest with us and we have to stand behind our bandmate.”
For Melissa, being called a “fame seeker” doesn’t faze her. She’s refusing to be silenced anymore, and said that “my goal is accomplished” after approaching the Santa Monica Police Department.