Prince Andrew was an abuser,
Epstein accuser says in TV interview
Virginia Giuffre claims prince was participant
Patriots star Antonio Brown faces second allegation of sexual assault – reports
Epstein accuser says in TV interview
Virginia Giuffre claims prince was participant
in Jeffrey Epstein’s exploitation of her
Joanna Walters in New York
The Guardian
Prince Andrew has vehemently denied any inappropriate behaviour or of being aware of any such behaviour by Jeffrey Epstein. Photograph: Peter Byrne/PA
An accuser of Jeffrey Epstein has alleged Prince Andrew was “an abuser, a participant” in the disgraced US financier’s exploitation of her as a teenager, in her first television interview.
Virginia Giuffre, formerly Roberts, who was pictured with Prince Andrew in a now notorious photograph, spoke to the US network TV station NBC News about her involvement with Epstein, a convicted sex offender who killed himself in a New York jail in August while facing fresh child sex trafficking charges.
The interview was due to air late on Friday night in the US but there were clips of it on the morning news shows. In them Giuffre tells how Epstein directed her to have sex with other powerful men in his orbit, including, she said, the Queen’s second oldest son, Andrew.
Giuffre has previously alleged she was recruited by Epstein when she was 15 and was coerced into sexual activity with him and associates in return for payments.
Virginia Giuffre. Photograph: Bebeto Matthews/AP
She alleged in 2011 testimony that Andrew “knows the truth” about Epstein’s abuse of underage girls and said he should be made to testify. In a December 2014 court filing she claimed she was made to have sex with Andrew, among other friends of the financier. The prince has always vehemently denied the allegations.
In 2015 a court decided that the allegations made by Giuffre about the prince were “immaterial and impertinent” and ordered them to be struck out of a defamation claim against Epstein’s friend Ghislaine Maxwell.
The prince hosted Epstein and Maxwell, a daughter of the late, disgraced British newspaper publisher Robert Maxwell. Ghislaine Maxwell has been accused of assisting Epstein’s abuse, but denies any wrongdoing.
Giuffre told NBC news anchor Savannah Guthrie about her allegation that Maxwell played a crucial role in the financier’s alleged sex trafficking racket.
She said: “The first time in London, I was so young. Ghislaine woke me up in the morning and she said, ‘You’re gonna meet a prince today.’ I didn’t know at that point that I was going to be trafficked to that prince.”
She added of Prince Andrew: “He denies that it ever happened. And he’s going to keep denying that it ever happened. But he knows the truth. And I know the truth.”
The prince has previously strongly denied any inappropriate behaviour or of being aware of any such behaviour from Epstein, in rare statements issued from Buckingham Palace. The palace pointed to those previous denials when asked about the Giuffre claims on Friday.
The prince said in a statement last month that he made Epstein’s acquaintance in 1999 and saw him once or twice each year. The prince also said he stayed at several of Epstein’s homes.
He said he did not “see, witness or suspect any behaviour of the sort that subsequently led to [Epstein’s] arrest and conviction”.
He added: “I have said previously that it was a mistake and an error to see him after his release [from prison] in 2010 and I can only reiterate my regret that I was mistaken to think that what I thought I knew of him was evidently not the real person, given what we now know.”
The prince also said: “His suicide has left many unanswered questions and I acknowledge and sympathise with everyone who has been affected and wants some form of closure.
“This is a difficult time for everyone involved and I am at a loss to be able to understand or explain Mr Epstein’s lifestyle. I deplore the exploitation of any human being and would not condone, participate in, or encourage any such behaviour.”
Prince Andrew with Virginia Roberts (centre) and Ghislaine Maxwell in 2001. Photograph: Rex/Shutterstock
Giuffre went on to say in the TV interview on Friday, after recounting that she been woken up in London by Maxwell: “That night Prince Andrew came to her house in London. And we went out to club Tramp. Prince Andrew got me alcohol. It was in the VIP section. I’m pretty sure it was vodka.
“Prince Andrew was like, ‘Let’s dance together.’ And I was like, ‘OK.’ And we leave club Tramp. And I hop in the car with Ghislaine and Jeffrey, and Ghislaine said, ‘He’s coming back to the house. And I want you to do for him what you do for Epstein.’ I couldn’t believe it.”
Last month, lawyers for some of Epstein’s victims said Prince Andrew should give sworn testimony on “everything he knows” about Epstein, after the prince said he was appalled by Epstein’s sex crimes.
In 2008, Epstein pleaded guilty to state charges in Florida: one count of solicitation of prostitution and one count of solicitation of prostitution with a minor under the age of 18. He was sentenced to 18 months in jail, followed by a year of community control or house arrest.
He spent his nights in jail and left to his office for 12 hours, 6 days a week. His sweetheart deal is a national disgrace in the USA.
Some people think they are just utterly irresistible
Antonio Brown of the New England Patriots © AFP / Michael Reaves
New England Patriots wide receiver Antonio Brown has reportedly been accused of sexual misconduct by a second woman, this time someone who is said to have painted a mural for him.
The accusation comes less than a week after the player’s former personal trainer, Britney Taylor, claimed to have been assaulted and raped by him during training sessions – claims which Brown has firmly denied.
Taylor was expected to meet with the National Football League (NFL ) on Monday to address accusations brought against the Patriots star.
But according to Sports Illustrated, Brown faces a second accusation of sexual misconduct by an artist who had reportedly been invited to his home to paint a mural.
The woman, whose name hasn’t been revealed, said she was offered $1,000 per day to make a mural on the wall of Brown’s home in Pittsburgh.
“He was flirty with me but I paid him no mind because I was there on business, plus, I had already seen him with multiple girls in the short time I was with him,” the artist said.
“I was about 40 percent done on the second day, and I’m on my knees painting the bottom, and he walks up to me butt-ass naked, with a hand cloth covering his [penis] and starts having a conversation with me.”
The woman, who described Brown’s actions as clear sexual harassment, stressed that she didn’t finish the mural adding, however, that the player did pay her $2,000 for the two working days.
Neither the player nor the club have commented on the latest reports, with the Patriots announcing earlier that they are taking Taylor’s accusations “very seriously.”
Colombian Instagram model accused of
running child sex trafficking ring
By Sara DornNew York Post
A Colombian Instagram model moonlighted as an international underage sex trafficking madame who recruited vulnerable girls to service celebrity clients, according to authorities.
Authorities arrested the accused in a July 2018 sting known as “Operation Vesta.”
Among the horrors the child sex slaves were allegedly forced to endure, were tattoo brandings by their “owners” and sex parties on luxury yachts and hotels.
The 48-year-old buxom brunette, nicknamed “La Madame,” reportedly recruited up to 400 girls, many from poor backgrounds, to service glamorous clients, including celebrities and politicians.
On social media, she flaunted the fruits of her labor.
Snaps posted by The Daily Mail show Campos Puello posing with cash and a Louis Vuitton purse while wearing a cleavage-bearing top. In another image, she lounged on a boat in a bikini.
Campos Puello, who was convicted of federal heroin trafficking in New York in 2002 — and also goes by “La Ronca” aka “the husky-voiced woman”— claims all the women were over 18. Prostitution is legal in Colombia.
Pittsburgh Pirates Pitcher Arrested On Charges Of Pornography, Soliciting A Child & Sexual Assault Of 13 y/o
EMILY FALENSKIDaily Caller
Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher Felipe Vázquez was arrested in his apartment Tuesday in Pittsburgh on a felony warrant out of Lee County, Florida, on the charges of computer pornography, solicitation of a child and providing obscene material to minors, according to the Florida Department of Law enforcement.
Later Tuesday afternoon, his bond was denied and he’s facing additional charges out of Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, of statutory sexual assault, unlawful contact with a minor, corruption of minors and indecent assault of a person less than 16-years-old, according to court records.
His lawyer says there will be a hearing on Sept. 25 to determine if he will be extradited to Florida. Vázquez is currently being held in Allegheny County Jail in Pittsburgh.
Felipe Vazquez, 28, is a Venezuelan baseball player and has been an all-star pitcher for the Pittsburgh Pirates since 2016. Before that, he played for the Washington Nationals.
The incident began to take shape in 2017, when an unnamed 13 year old girl asked to take pictures with Felipe Vázquez outside the bullpen at PNC park. She later messaged him on Instagram, and they started talking through text and social media.
They exchanged sexual texts, videos and planned to meet up when his baseball season ended. In an interview with a state trooper, she said that he drove her to her house in Westmoreland County, and while in the car he pulled her pants down, put her on his lap and tried to have sex with her. According to state troopers, he admitted to driving to the girl’s house and trying to have sex with her, but he said he needed to leave because he had a game that night.
On another occasion he sent her a video of him performing a sexual act on himself. His face wasn’t showing, but the police identified him by his tattoos. When the Pennsylvania State Police and FDLE officials served the search warrant they had for his apartment, they seized multiple electronic devices which will be forensically tested.
The Pirates have placed Vazquez on the restricted list following the arrest. He will continue to receive his $4 million salary but is ineligible to play. Workers removed a banner depicting Vázquez from outside PNC Park on Tuesday night.
Singer Aaron Carter (Backstreet Boys) accuses
late sister Leslie of sexual abuse
Aaron's brother Nick has filed a restraining order. Photo / Instagram
NZ HeraldTroubled star Aaron Carter has claimed he was sexually abused by his sister Leslie, who died in 2012 from a drug overdose.
Police are investigating the allegations raised by the singer who claims his sister sexually abused him for years. Police also said they have received reports from the Carter family with concerns for the singer's welfare.
"We are currently investigating the concerns of all parties involved and utilising all available resources to assist family members in addressing their concerns," a spokesperson told Page Six earlier this week.
Aaron Carter made the allegations on Twitter this week.
"It runs in the family. I never wanted to tell anyone this. But I have too (sic)…," he wrote.
"My sister Leslie suffered from bipolar and took lithium to treat it. She never liked the way it made her feel and when she was off of it she did things that she never meant to do I truly believe that. I was 10 years old…."
"My sister raped me from the age of 10 to 13 years old when she wasn't on her medications and I was absused (sic) not only sexually by her but by my first two back-up dancers when I was 8 years old. And my brother absused (sic) me my whole life."
Leslie died in 2012 from a drug overdose when she was 25-years-old.
The singer handed over two assault rifles on Wednesday after his brother Nick Carter reportedly took out a restraining order against him. He says he has kept his shotgun and pistol for his own protection.
Aaron Carter has made a series of troubling statements about his family on Twitter recently, including accusing his brother Nick of being a "serial rapist" and accusing his pregnant sister of being on drugs.
The Backstreet Boys singer Nick, 39, said he filed the order against his brother after he expressed the intention of killing Nick's pregnant wife, Lauren Kitt, and their unborn child.
"In light of Aaron's increasingly alarming behaviour and his recent confession that he harbours thoughts and intentions of killing my pregnant wife and unborn child, we were left with no choice but to take every measure possible to protect ourselves and our family," Nick tweeted this week.
"We love our brother and truly hope he gets the proper treatment he needs before any harm comes to himself or anyone else."
Is this an example of what drugs can do to people? Or, are these symptoms of child sexual abuse? Or both?
Placido Domingo withdraws from Met Opera
Grigolo suspended from Royal Opera
Grigolo suspended from Royal Opera
#MeToo is not done yet!
The Associated Press 
Spanish tenor Placido Domingo, seen here in Madrid on July 15, 2019, has withdrawn from all future performances at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City following accusations of sexual harassment made by several women. (Javier Lopez/EPA-EFE)
The Metropolitan Opera announced Tuesday that Placido Domingo had agreed to withdraw from his slate of scheduled performances at the opera house following allegations of sexual harassment made by multiple women in two Associated Press stories. The opera legend indicated that he would never again perform at the Met.
Domingo had been scheduled to sing the title role in the season premiere of Verdi's Macbeth on Wednesday night, which would have been his first performance in the United States since the AP reported that numerous women had accused him of inappropriate behaviour, including one soprano who said he grabbed her bare breast.
The Met had been under increasing pressure to cancel Domingo's six scheduled appearances, but general manager Peter Gelb reiterated to performers after a dress rehearsal Saturday that the opera house was awaiting results of investigations by the L.A. Opera, where Domingo has been general director since 2003, and the American Guild of Musical Artists, the union that represents various opera staff.
Domingo, who had sung in rehearsals, issued a statement saying his Met career was over after what the company said was 706 performances as a singer, plus 169 as a conductor.
"I made my debut at the Metropolitan Opera at the age of 27 and have sung at this magnificent theatre for 51 consecutive, glorious years," the star said. "While I strongly dispute recent allegations made about me, and I am concerned about a climate in which people are condemned without due process, upon reflection, I believe that my appearance in this production of Macbeth would distract from the hard work of my colleagues both on stage and behind the scenes.
"As a result, I have asked to withdraw," he added, "and I thank the leadership of the Met for graciously granting my request. I am happy that, at the age of 78, I was able to sing the wonderful title role in the dress rehearsal of Macbeth, which I consider my last performance on the Met stage."
In its statement, the Met said the long-married, Spanish-born superstar had "agreed to withdraw from all future performances at the Met, effective immediately." Gelb sent an email to the Met staff saying, "We are grateful to him for recognizing that he needed to step down."
Lengthy ovations
The Philadelphia Orchestra, San Francisco Opera and Dallas Opera previously cancelled upcoming concerts starring Domingo after the AP stories were published. But his reception has been far different in Europe, where he received lengthy ovations after concert performances of Verdi's Luisa Miller at the Salzburg Festival in Austria on Aug. 25 and 31, just weeks after the initial AP story.
One of Domingo's accusers, Patricia Wulf, called Domingo's withdrawal from the Met "such a relief.
"The Met finally stepped up and did the right thing," she told the AP.
Retired opera singer Patricia Wulf, one of the women who said they were sexually harassed by Domingo, called his withdrawal from the Met 'such a relief.' (Jacquelyn Martin/The Associated Press)In addition to announcing Domingo's withdrawal, Gelb said the Met was suspending tenor Vittorio Grigolo pending the outcome of an investigation opened Tuesday by the Royal Opera in London, which said he was alleged to be involved in a Sept. 18 incident when he sang the title role in Gounod's Faust on tour in Tokyo.
Grigolo, 42, was scheduled to sing six performances of Alfredo in Verdi's La Traviata at the Met in February and March. He did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment.
The Met fired conductor James Levine (5th story on link) in March 2018 after an investigation (3rd story on link) by a law firm retained by the company found evidence of sexual abuse and harassment. Levine, the company's music director from 1976-2016, was music director emeritus at the time and denied the allegations. He filed a breach of contract and defamation lawsuit that was settled last month.
Domingo made his Met debut in September 1968 and is known to many beyond opera for his performances as part of The Three Tenors with Luciano Pavarotti and Jose Carreras. Singing far beyond the retirement age of most singers, he shifted to baritone parts in 2009, extending his repertoire to more than 150 roles.
Without providing details, the Royal Opera in London said it has suspended tenor Vittorio Grigolo after an incident that allegedly took place last Wednesday at the end of a performance in Tokyo. A U.K. media report said the singer allegedly groped a female chorus singer during a curtain call. (Kevork Djansezian/Reuters )
Zeljko Lucic will replace him for the Met's three performances of Macbeth. Domingo also had been scheduled for four performances as Sharpless in Puccini's Madama Butterfly at the Met in November.
Before Domingo's withdrawal, the New York state senator whose district includes the opera house had called for his removal. "I believe they have an obligation to hold their performers to a high standard, given the fact that they are one of the world's most important cultural institutions," said Brad Hoylman, a Democrat and state senator for New York.
"They should be thinking also not just about his celebrity and star power, but about the 20 women who allegedly have made complaints," Hoylman said. "The Met has an obligation to ensure the safety and well-being of their employees and I'm concerned that if they don't take action on this, this matter might discourage future employees from coming forward."
Brother who murdered ‘Pakistan’s Kim Kardashian’ gets life sentence for ‘honor killing’ that shook the country
In this photograph taken on June 28, 2016, Pakistani social media celebrity, Qandeel Baloch
arrives for a press conference in Lahore. © AFP / STR
Mohammad Waseem Baloch was found guilty of drugging and strangling his sister in July 2016. Six other defendants, including religious scholar Mufti Abdul Qavi and Qandeel’s other two brothers, Aslam Shaheen and Arif, were acquitted in the case.
Wassem had initially confessed to killing his sister, arguing that she had brought shame to his family with her boundary-pushing social media presence.
Dubbed the Kim Kardashian of Pakistan, Qandeel, whose real name was Fauzia Azeem, had more than 750,000 Facebook subscribers, some 51,000 followers on Instagram, and about 43,000 Twitter followers. The 26-year-old rose to prominence by posting content that was often deemed taboo in her socially conservative homeland.
The case garnered international attention due to a bizarre legal loophole in Pakistan, which allowed those who commit a so-called ‘honor-killing’ to walk free if they are forgiven by the victim’s family.
Uproar over the possibility that Qandeel’s killers might walk free prompted new anti-honor-killing legislation, which mandated a minimum of 12 years for such crimes.
Qandeel’s father, Muhammad Azeem, had originally brought charges against his sons, stating that he would be happy if they “hanged for their unforgivable crime.” The parents later forgave their sons, and argued that the new honor-killing law could not be implemented retroactively to the case.
Despite international outcry over Qandeel’s murder, women in Pakistan continue to be killed by relatives for allegedly ‘dishonoring’ their families. According to one estimate, there were more than 15,000 honor killings – carried out against both men and women – between 2004 and 2016.
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