N.Y.P.D. Investigates Two Sexual Assault Allegations Against David Blaine

Magician David Blaine is reportedly facing an N.Y.P.D. investigation as police allegedly look into claims of sexual assault from two women. Blaine was also accused of rape in London just over two years ago—an accusation which he denied, and which Scotland Yard declined to pursue after investigating former model Natasha Princes allegation.

According to the Daily Beast, a senior N.Y.P.D. official with knowledge of the investigation said the N.Y.P.D.s Special Victims Unit has taken statements from two women. One of those women, a source familiar with the complaint said, claims that Blaine assaulted her inside his Manhattan apartment in 1998—possibly placing her allegation outside of the statute of limitations.

When reached by the Daily Beast, police declined to comment on the case, instead replying with this statement: “The N.Y.P.D. takes sexual assault and rape cases extremely seriously and urges anyone who has been a victim to file a report so we can perform a comprehensive investigation, and offer support and services to survivors.” Blaine also declined the Daily Beasts request for comment, but said he had not been approached by police. (Representatives for Blaine did not immediately respond to V.F.s request for comment.)

In 2016, Natasha Prince accused Blaine of raping her at a private residence in London in 2004. In a 2017 statement, Blaines attorney Marty Singer denied the allegation: “My client vehemently denies that he raped or sexually assaulted any woman, ever, and he specifically denies raping a woman in 2004,” Singer wrote. “If, in fact, there is any police investigation, my client will fully cooperate because he has nothing to hide.”

Prince ended a promising modeling career at the age of 24, following anxiety that she said stemmed from the incident—which allegedly occurred when she was 21. (Blaine would have been about 31 years old at the time.) Speaking with the Daily Beast, Prince said, “I quit modeling very early. I didnt get to be the 30-year-old model I had hoped to be . . . I had been building a name for myself—very hard work, traveling, leaving behind school, family, my cozy life. I never learned to drive because I was always traveling. I didnt have a nice high-school boyfriend or anything like that. But after this happened, I didnt want to go out, and I didnt want to go to my castings. I wouldnt get the job because now I was insecure.”

Last year, after interviewing Blaine, Scotland Yard opted not to pursue further action. The Daily Beast reports that Blaine has not been charged with anything related to the two new allegations; he is scheduled to begin touring in the U.K. and Ireland in June.

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