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Magician David Copperfield has been accused of sexual misconduct by 16 different women, with more than half alleging they were underage when they interacted with the entertainer.
The claims were made as part of a years-long investigation by the Guardian newspaper’s U.S. bureau, which reported allegations dating from the late 1980s to 2014.
The accusations against Copperfield, 67, range from alleged instances of drugging, sexual assault and groping.
Many of the women claim Copperfield said he would help them establish a modelling or entertainment career. More than half of the accusers said they met Copperfield at one of his shows.
Copperfield has denied all the allegations against him. Lawyers for the illusionist told the Guardian that Copperfield “never acted inappropriately with anyone, let alone anyone underage.” His lawyers maintain the magician is someone who displays “kindness, shyness and treatment of men and women with respect.”
The lawyers said it was “not only completely false but also entirely implausible” that Copperfield ever touched a woman inappropriately.
As for allegations of drugging women, Copperfield’s lawyers said drugs are “not a part of his world.”
Copperfield has never been charged with a crime, his lawyers noted.
One woman included in the Guardian’s investigation, Brittney Lewis, made her accusations against Copperfield public in 2018. She said he drugged her in 1988, when she was 17 years old, then sexually assaulted her.
The magician denied Lewis’ allegations in 2018 when she discussed them publicly.
Now, two more unnamed women told the Guardian they were also drugged and sexually assaulted by Copperfield. The women, who are friends, said they met Copperfield for drinks after one of his shows in 1993. They told the newspaper they were unable to consent to sex with him and “blacked out” in his hotel room.
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Four other women said Copperfield groped them or that they were made to touch him in a sexual manner during his stage performances. Three of the four women were teenagers at the time of the alleged incidents. One woman said she was 15 years old when Copperfield allegedly touched her breasts on stage without consent, all while her family watched from the audience.
A different, anonymous woman told the Guardian she was also 15 when she met Copperfield at a show in 1991. The pair kept in contact for years, but the woman now says she was “groomed” by the illusionist, who once sent her a card when she was 16 that read, “In 2 years I will be back.” The woman said she and Copperfield had consensual sex when she was 18, and that it was her first time.
Copperfield’s lawyers denied he groomed the accuser and said she and Copperfield had a consensual relationship for four years.
One groping allegation against Copperfield has Canadian roots, stemming from a show in Hamilton, Ont. in 1996. The accuser said she was 17 when Copperfield invited her on stage. He allegedly touched her inappropriately “between the anus and the vagina” in front of the crowd. She filed a police complaint in 2018.
Another woman, 38-year-old Fallon Thornton, reported Copperfield to the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department after he allegedly squeezed her breast when she came on stage during a 2014 performance at MGM Grand casino-hotel. The Guardian obtained police records for the alleged incident, which noted the case was closed due to “insufficient evidence.”
These 16 women are not the first to accuse Copperfield of sexual misconduct — instances which his lawyers referred to as “numerous false claims” already against him.
The Guardian said their extensive reporting drew on interviews with more than 100 people, as well as court and police records.
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In a statement to Global News, a representative for Copperfield maintained his innocence.
“Everyone that knows David Copperfield will tell you that these recent allegations from one newspaper are the exact opposite of who David is. In fact, David has a record of risking his career to help protect women from powerful predators,” the statement reads. “Most of these historic accusations have been made before, and all of them are as false now as they were then. David requested the ‘evidence’ upon which these false allegations claim to rely and this has not been provided. By contrast, whenever US law enforcement has looked into such matters, they have been investigated thoroughly and it has been found that there is simply no case to answer.”
The statement continues: “The Guardian’s characterization is not who David is, and he continues to support anyone who has experienced any form of abuse or discrimination. The movement must succeed, but false accusations must stop for it to flourish. David will be considering the position with his legal team and will take such steps as may be appropriate over these false and scurrilous allegations.”
In January, Copperfield’s name was revealed in documents related to disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein, among several other high-profile individuals. One of Epstein’s victims named Copperfield in a 2016 deposition related to a defamation lawsuit against Ghislaine Maxwell and said she met the magician when he performed tricks at a dinner.
The presence of Copperfield’s name in Epstein-related documents does not directly mean he has committed a crime. His lawyers said Copperfield had “no knowledge or belief that anything improper was going on” with Epstein.
“Like the rest of the world, he learned about it from the press,” his lawyers said of Epstein’s crimes, adding that Copperfield did not regularly socialize with Epstein.
If you or someone you know is experiencing abuse or is involved in an abusive situation, please visit the Canadian Resource Centre for Victims of Crime for help. They are also reachable toll-free at 1-877-232-2610.
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