Kevin Spacey, Steven Seagal, Anthony Anderson Won’t Be Charged For Sex Crimes, Says Los Angeles D.A.
Prosecutors from the Los Angeles County District Attorney’s Office said Tuesday they will not be filing charges against several actors accused of sexual assault. The three men have been under investigation after alleged incidents came to light in the wake of the Me Too movement.
The allegations against Kevin Spacey stem from an October 1992 incident reported in West Hollywood. The statute of limitations has been exceeded, so authorities will take no further action.
Prosecutors cite a lack of evidence against Anthony Anderson, of the show black-ish, as their reason for declining to press charges. A woman told police that the actor had raped and sexually abused her earlier this year, but later declined to cooperate with the investigation. According to a statement in the Los Angeles Times, Anderson disputes the allegations and has not been contacted by authorities.
Steven Seagal was under investigation after a woman reported that he had raped her in 1993. Because the statute of limitations was only six years at the time, no charges can be filed. He has been the subject of multiple accusations over several decades. In a statement earlier this year, his attorney Anthony Falangetti denied the accusations to ABC News.
“Mr. Seagal denies all accusations and continues to stand his ground that he has not engaged in any such misconduct. The allegations that have been made against Mr. Seagal are false and have no substantive material support. The accounts of both women are completely fictitious and totally made up. The allegations are a disservice to women who are victimized because of real predators in the film industry.”
In 2016, California removed the statute of limitations for rape charges, but the change is not retroactive. Incidents that occurred before 2016 are subject to the statute of limitations at the time of the crime, which had previously been 10 years.
Spacey remains under investigation by London’s Metropolitan Police after a string of accusations of inappropriate behavior were made. As reported by the Inquisitr, six men have accused the 56-year-old actor of sexual misconduct. He also stands accused of grabbing an 18-year-old man’s genitals in a Massachusetts bar in 2016. The two-time Oscar winner has previously apologized for “deeply inappropriate drunken behavior.”
As the accusations against him pile up, Spacey has seen a decline in his career. Netflix responded to the allegations against him by axing his character from the popular Netflix series House of Cards and his most recent film, Billionaire Boys Club, earned $126 in its opening day.
