Perverted Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous Episode IX

Virginia power crisis escalates with 2nd woman accusing Democrat Lt. Governor of rape

A second woman has accused embattled Virginia Lt. Governor Justin Fairfax of sexual assault, with his office still reeling from last week’s claims he’d assaulted a female professor at the 2004 Democratic National Convention.

Meredith Watson claims she was raped by Fairfax in a “premeditated and aggressive assault” while both were students at Duke University back in 2000. Watson told multiple friends and classmates about the assault after it happened – both verbally and in Facebook messages and emails, she has revealed through her attorney. At least one of those friends has publicly corroborated her account, while others have reportedly provided statements.

The two undergrads were “friends” at Duke but did not date or see each other romantically, according to Watson’s lawyer, Nancy Erika Smith.

“At this time, Ms. Watson is reluctantly coming forward out of a strong sense of civic duty and her belief that those seeking or serving in public office should be of the highest character,” said Smith, who claims the details of the attack on Watson are similar to the details shared by Vanessa Tyson, the professor who accused Fairfax last week.

I have that same ridiculous trait - a belief that those seeking or serving in public office should be of the highest character. How utterly naive!

Fairfax has denied Watson’s allegations, claiming there is a “smear campaign” targeting him. “I will not resign,” he said in a statement, calling for a full investigation and noting he has already passed FBI background checks.

The Lieutenant Governor also insisted there was nothing non-consensual about his encounter with Tyson, who released a statement claiming she initially suppressed memories of the assault - in which the Democratic politician allegedly forced her to perform oral sex - out of shame until the news he was running for office “hit [her] like a ton of bricks.”

As the reports of Fairfax’s second accuser filtered through Congress, multiple Democratic lawmakers called for his resignation. Sen. Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Rep. Jennifer Wexton (D-Virginia), Sen. Cory Booker (D-New Jersey), and former Virginia governor Terry McAuliffe were among the first.

Fairfax isn’t the only VA Democrat in hot water, as the entire state leadership is crumbling under allegations of racism and sexual assault. After first admitting, then denying he had appeared in a photo from his high school yearbook depicting a man in blackface next to a man in a KKK costume, Governor Ralph Northam has refused to step down despite calls for his resignation. Meanwhile, Attorney General Mark Herring has admitted that he too wore blackface at a college party.

National Enquirer publisher to investigate
Bezos extortion claims

Tabloid said it 'acted lawfully' while reporting story on Amazon CEO

The Associated Press 

The publisher of the National Enquirer said Friday it will look into claims of extortion and blackmail made by Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, who said the tabloid threatened to publish intimate photos of him unless he stopped investigating how the Enquirer obtained his private communication with his mistress.

American Media Inc. said it "acted lawfully" while reporting the story.

The company's statement is the latest twist in a high-profile clash between the world's richest man and the leader of America's best-known tabloid, who is a strong backer of U.S. President Donald Trump. Bezos's investigators have suggested the Enquirer's coverage of his extramarital affair — which included the release of explicit text messages — was driven by dirty politics.

Bezos, who is also owner of the Washington Post, detailed his interactions with American Media Inc., or AMI, in an extraordinary blog post Thursday on Medium.com. The billionaire did not say the tabloid was seeking money — instead, he said, the Enquirer wanted him to make a public statement that its coverage was not politically motivated.

The company has admitted in the past that it engaged in what's known as "catch-and-kill" practices to help suppress negative stories that could have hurt Trump's candidacy for president. Trump has been highly critical of Bezos and the Post's coverage of the White House.

"Of course, I don't want personal photos published, but I also won't participate in their well-known practice of blackmail, political favours, political attacks, and corruption," Bezos wrote of AMI, in explaining his decision to go public.

"I prefer to stand up, roll this log over, and see what crawls out."

Bezos's phone not hacked

The Bezos affair became public when the Enquirer published a Jan. 9 story about his relationship with Lauren Sanchez, a former TV anchor who is married. Bezos then hired a team of private investigators to find out how the tabloid got the texts and photos the two exchanged.

Bezos's personal investigators, led by his longtime security consultant, Gavin de Becker, concluded that Bezos's phone wasn't hacked. Instead, they've been focusing on Sanchez's brother, according to a person familiar with the matter.

De Becker and his team suspect Michael Sanchez, a talent manager who touts his support of Trump and is an acquaintance of Trump allies Roger Stone and Carter Page, may have provided the information to the Enquirer, the person said. The person wasn't authorized to discuss the matter publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity.

Sanchez, who is also his sister's manager, has declined to speak with The Associated Press on the record and did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment Thursday. In a tweet, he said de Becker "spreads fake, unhinged conservative conspiracy theories" and "'dog whistle' smears."

Several days ago, someone at AMI told Bezos's team that the company's CEO, David Pecker, was "apoplectic" about the investigation, Bezos said. AMI later approached Bezos's representatives with an offer.

Pecker is a personal friend of Donald Trump.

"They said they had more of my text messages and photos that they would publish if we didn't stop our investigation," Bezos wrote.

'Below the belt' selfie obtained

Bezos wrote that this week, the tabloid's editor, Dylan Howard, emailed an attorney for de Becker to describe photos the Enquirer "obtained during our newsgathering." The photos include a "below the belt selfie" of Bezos, photos of him in tight boxer briefs and wearing only a towel, and several revealing photos of Sanchez, according to the emails Bezos released.

According to the emails, an attorney for AMI offered a formal deal Wednesday: The tabloid wouldn't post the photos if Bezos and his investigators would release a public statement "affirming that they have no knowledge or basis" to suggest the Enquirer's coverage was "politically motivated or influenced by political forces."

Bezos said he decided to publish the emails sent to his team "rather than capitulate to extortion and blackmail" despite the "personal cost and embarrassment they threaten."

In its Jan. 9 story, the Enquirer said reporters followed Bezos and Sanchez "across five states and 40,000 miles" and "tailed them in private jets, swanky limos, helicopter rides, romantic hikes, five-star hotel hideaways, intimate dinner dates and 'quality time' in hidden love nests."

It reported that Bezos sent "sleazy text messages and gushing love notes" to Sanchez, months before Bezos announced he was splitting up with his wife, MacKenzie. The story carries the bylines of Howard and two reporters.

Bezos usually stays out of the public eye, frequently delegating announcements and public Amazon business updates to his executives. He doesn't even speak on the company's quarterly financial earnings call with analysts.

AMI's relationship with Trump has gotten the company into hot water in the past. It admitted to "catch-and-kill" practices as part of a deal with federal prosecutors, who agreed not to pursue charges against the company.

AMI acknowledged secretly assisting Trump's campaign by paying $150,000 to a Playboy model for the rights to her story about an alleged affair with the then-candidate. The company then intentionally suppressed the story until after the 2016 election.

In September, the Justice Department agreed to a non-prosecution agreement with AMI, which requires the company and some top executives, including Pecker and Howard, to co-operate with authorities.

De Becker is now trying to find a way that federal prosecutors in Manhattan — where the non-prosecution agreement was signed — could investigate the text message scandal, the person familiar with the matter said, though it wasn't immediately clear what, if any, crime the prosecutors would be asked to look into.

It is a federal crime to threaten to injure someone's reputation in exchange for money or a "thing of value," though federal courts haven't made it directly clear whether a public statement, like the one demanded by AMI, could be considered something of value.

If it had no intrinsic value, there would be no issue here. Nevertheless, it's amazing to me how someone as brilliant as Jeff Bezos could do such stupid things as to get himself in this situation in the first place.

Dave Brubaker, ex-Canadian gymnastics coach,
acquitted of sex-related charges

Is it just me, or do the rich and famous have their own judicial system?

CBC Sports

Former Canadian gymnastics coach Dave Brubaker leaves a courthouse on Wednesday after being

found not guilty of sexual assault and sexual exploitation levelled by a former athlete.

(Mark Spowart/Canadian Press)

Former Canadian Olympic women's gymnastics coach Dave Brubaker was found not guilty today of two sex-related charges levelled by a former athlete.

Brubaker had pleaded not guilty to sexual assault and sexual exploitation relating to the alleged incidents between 2000 and 2007.

Justice Deborah Austin, in delivering her decision inside a Sarnia, Ont., courtroom, gave a scathing critique of how the lead officer handled the investigation, saying the Crown's case was damaged by the relationship between the complainant and the officer, who she said abandoned both his oath of impartiality and his oath of secrecy

"I don't criticize him for being a good friend … I do criticize the decision to also at the same time take on the role of sole investigating officer in the case resulting in some questions about the handling of the case," she said. "These things do affect the reliability of the Crown's case. These issues cannot be ignored."

Unlike sincere truth and genuine suffering, they can be ignored, apparently, in the name of justice.

Judge says complainant's testimony 'sincere, genuine'
The trial heard the sole investigating officer made the complainant the godmother of his child during the course of the probe. Court also heard the officer shared details of Brubaker's police interview with the woman, who cannot be identified under a publication ban.

Austin said none of her critique of the officer should be interpreted as an indictment of the complainant. "She was forthright and appeared to be doing her best, generally," the judge said. "It was sincere and genuine."​

Brubaker hugged his wife, Elizabeth, after the judge's decision while his supporters applauded in court.

Gymnastics Canada launching internal probe
In a statement, Gymnastics Canada announced it would conduct an internal investigation in accordance with its Code of Ethics and Conduct and Discipline policies.

"Gymnastics Canada acknowledges, understands, and remains committed to our responsibility in creating and preserving gymnastics environments that ensure positive, healthy, and fulfilling experiences for all of our participants," read the statement. "Together with our provincial and territorial partners and member clubs, we are continuing to implement a safe sport framework for gymnastics across the country.

"This framework includes tools to assist parents and other responsible adults to identify potentially unsafe situations and take proactive steps to ensure the safety of the athletes; providing confidential channels for athletes to communicate concerns with respect to their safety and well-being without risk of reprisals; and utilizing the appropriate enforcement mechanisms for addressing individuals who breach safe sport policies."

Gymnastics Canada CEO Ian Moss told CBC Sports' Devin Heroux that the investigation would follow proper protocol and he hoped that it would move swiftly.

"He [Brubaker] is unable to become a member again until we determine the outcome of the investigation. We've said in our other cases that we hope that the investigations can be completed within a month. We hope that that's the case. Certainly we're not going to drag it out," Moss said.

"These are very difficult times. These are very difficult stories and conversations. We know we want to maintain the sanctity and the beauty of the sport. We know that we've got work to do. Every sport has work to do there. And we are vigilant in ensuring that."

At the time of Brubaker's arrest in December 2017, he was interviewed by the lone officer on the case — a procedure the judge found was conducted in a particularly concerning way. He was also put on administrative leave by Gymnastics Canada and will remain suspended during its investigation.

Police officer should be investigated, says defence lawyer
"The statement contains unusually long commentary and monologue by the investigating officer and the questions were broad and wide-ranging," Austin told the court, suggesting the officer acted as a "conduit" for the complainant.

The most damning part of the statement, she said, was that Brubaker said he was "guilty of crossing a line." The officer, however, did not ask Brubaker to clarify what "line" he crossed or in what ways he crossed it, Austin said.

Outside court, Brubaker's defence lawyer argued the officer should be investigated for the way the probe was carried out.

"He owes [Brubaker] more than [an apology]. He turned his life upside down," Patrick Ducharme said. "This is not over … We'll try to clear [Brubaker's] name in every respect."

Sarnia police did not respond to request for comment on the judge's criticism of the investigating officer or Ducharme's call for a probe into his conduct.

Complainant initiated kisses, Brubaker said
In the case involving Brubaker, the complainant told the court that from the time she was 12, he would commonly greet her with a kiss on the lips.

Brubaker didn't deny this.

"I think it was just out of habit … that she started to kiss me," Brubaker said, insisting the kisses were innocent. "I don't come from a kissy family, so to me it's just part of the gymnast culture. It's not something I need as a man."

Brubaker, who coached the national women's team at the 2012 and 2016 Olympics, told the court the complainant initiated the kisses after a competition in Europe.

Brubaker's wife, who worked alongside her husband, testified she found nothing odd about the kisses, but acknowledged her husband kissed other students only on the cheek.

Brubaker's wife suspended
Last month, Gymnastics Canada suspended Elizabeth Brubaker, who isn't facing criminal charges, from her coaching job with the Bluewater Gymnastics Club in Sarnia.

In a statement, Gymnastics Canada said it suspended her after receiving "a number of written formal complaints … that outlined alleged violations of Gymnastics Canada's ethics and code of conduct policies over an extended period of time a number of years ago."

The complainant in her husband's case is now in her 30s. She also alleged Dave Brubaker touched her inappropriately while treating her for persistent pain and soreness.

Brubaker, the women's national team director at last year's world championships in Montreal, also vehemently denied this. But at the same time, an expert witness told the court that treatment, often in sensitive areas, is an integral and necessary part of maintaining the body of an elite gymnast.

Complainant alleged Brubaker would 'spoon' her
During their lengthy time as coach and student, the complainant also lived with the Brubakers. The court heard that David Brubaker took special care of her, picking her up almost daily at school before driving her home and then to practice.

On a number of occasions, it's alleged, Brubaker invited the complainant into his bedroom to join him for a nap. She alleges Brubaker would "spoon" her and tickle her belly.

He denied this ever happened.

Ducharme argued the young woman was bitter because she didn't make it to the Olympics, unlike some others Brubaker coached.

Brubaker's trial came at a time when the sport of gymnastics is in a seismic flux. In the U.S., Larry Nassar, the former U.S. gymnastics national team doctor who was convicted of assaulting hundreds of young gymnasts under the guise of treatment, has brought the sport to its knees.

Nassar was sentenced to 40 to 125 years in jail for his crimes. And just this week, U.S. Gymnastics declared bankruptcy as it desperately tries to make a fresh start.

'Clean-up' work halts at boy band's South Korea night club embroiled in rape allegations

By Elizabeth Shim

Seungri (L), a former member of South Korean boy band Big Bang, has apologized for sex assault allegations at a nightclub he owns in southern Seoul. File Photo by Yonhap/EPA-EFE

(UPI) -- South Korean police have ordered clean-up work be stopped at a nightclub in southern Seoul where drugging and rapes may have occurred, according to multiple allegations.

Club Burning Sun, owned by K-pop celebrity Seungri, a former member of boy band Big Bang, is at the center of controversy over a local nightclub culture that caters to wealthy patrons and encourages police to mind their own business.

The club's dismantlement began on Sunday amid allegations from victims and anonymous male clients that the club staff routinely used date rape drugs on women and literally dragged them to hotel rooms meant for male VIP guests.

The Seoul metropolitan police ordered club dismantlement to stop late Wednesday, according to News 1. The report came after local newspaper Chosun Ilbo reported the club was being cleaned before evidence could be collected, as Gangnam district police, suspected of taking a laissez-faire approach to club incidents, told the paper they "didn't know" anything about the demolition.

Burning Sun opened less than a year ago. According to photographs posted to Instagram or to its proprietary website, Burning Sun regularly attracts K-pop celebrities. Seungri, whose legal name is Lee Seung-hyun, has denied knowledge of the use of date rape drugs at his establishment. Local police could bring Lee in for questioning, according to reports.

A photo of Seungri with a suspected drug trafficker has surfaced online.

The suspect, identified as a Chinese woman, was recently investigated after police found "suspicious" liquids and white powders at her residence, according to local network KBS.

The woman, a staff member at the club, has been connected to securing drug purchases, according to multiple reports.

The club has been under public scrutiny since late 2018, when an anonymous YouTube account holder posted surveillance footage of a "secret VIP tunnel" that Burning Sun staff use to drag drugged women to undisclosed locations.

The shocking footage shows a woman struggling to escape staff, and hold onto a nearby laptop, before they pull her by the hair and take her away.

Local network MBC has reported staff drugged women regularly then would text VIP clients with images of the unconscious victims.

Seungri has recently apologized for the incidents.

Weird to Be on Set: Kriti Sanon on ‘Housefull 4’,

#MeToo & Sajid Khan

BOLLYWOOD

Actor Kriti Sanon says when the #MeToo allegations surfaced against Housefull 4's former director Sajid Khan and her co-star Nana Patekar, the team took swift actions as they were focused about not letting it affect the final product. Sajid Khan stepped down from the project following multiple accusations of sexual misconduct against him. He was replaced by writer Farhad Samji as the director. Nana Patekar too, distanced himself from the comedy after being accused of harassment by actor Tanushree Dutta. He was replaced by actor Rana Daggubati.

“It was weird to be on set with all that going on. Someone else directing us suddenly in the middle of the film. But I give it to producer Sajid Nadiadwala sir. He took certain decisions and handled it very well. We didn’t stop shooting for more than two days,” Kriti told PTI.

The actor says the team, including actors Akshay Kumar, Kriti Kharbanda, Bobby Deol, Riteish Deshmukh and Pooja Hegde, were focused on the film and in delivering a good final product. "We finished our schedule a day before we were supposed to finish. That way, we all just wanted to make the film in a good manner and make sure all of this doesn't affect the final product. A film once made is out forever. We were together in it."

The Bareilly Ki Barfi star says some of the highlight sequences of the film were shot after the #MeToo allegations surfaced and were handled very well. "We shot some major sequences including the interval and the climax after that. These sequences are usually crazy because the entire star cast is together. Our producer took the call of spending that extra money to reshoot scenes with no fault of his," she added.

Kriti will be next seen in Luka Chuppi co-starring Kartik Aaryan. The film, directed by Laxman Utekar and written by Rohan Shankar, is scheduled to release on 1 March.