Gary Busey, 81, pleads guilty to sex crimes charge after groping woman during horror movie convention
Busey was accused of inappropriately touching two women's buttocks during a photo shoot at Monster Mania at the Doubletree Hotel in Camden on August 13, 2022 - and trying to unhook another victim's bra, allegedly asking that woman 'where she got them.'
Despite previously denying any wrongdoing, the Lethal Weapon actor, 81, admitted one count of fourth-degree criminal sexual contact, saying the assault was 'not an accidental touching' during a virtual court appearance on Thursday, per Court TV.
Under a plea agreement, remaining charges against Busey - which included three additional counts of fourth-degree criminal sexual contact and one count of attempted fourth-degree criminal sexual contact - will be dismissed.
Oscar nominee Busey now faces one to five years of probation and must pay fines, he will also have a criminal record and be required to submit a DNA sample.
Busey's defense attorney Blair Zwillman had argued the indictment should be dismissed due to an alleged 'faulty investigation' and claiming the police failed to question certain witnesses.
Judge Gwendolyn Blue denied the motion to dismiss.
Busey's sentencing will take place on September 18 via Zoom.
Daily Mail has contacted representatives for Gary Busey and has not heard back.
Days after he was charged in 2022, Busey accused the women of 'making up' claims he had groped them and said their encounter lasted 'less than ten seconds.'
'None of that happened,' Busey told paparazzi. 'There was my partner, a camera lady and me and two girls.
'It took less than ten seconds and then they left. Then they made up a story that I assaulted them sexually when I did not.'
'So the story's not true?' the photographer asked while Busey was pumping gas in Malibu. 'Nothing happened. It was all false. I was not inappropriate at all. I have eyewitnesses,' Busey maintained.
A police affidavit from 2022 says Busey asked detectives to apologize to two of his victims and talk them out of pressing charges.
It states that those two victims were taking pictures with Busey in a photoshoot area of the event when the actor 'placed his face near one of the victim's breasts and asked her where she got them, before attempting to unlatch her bra strap.'
The other woman claimed Busey grabbed her buttocks, along with a third victim who claimed the same thing, and who made her allegations later on.
Detectives said after they contacted Busey, he claimed 'that sometimes it is possible to accidentally touch someone in a specific body part.'
At the convention, Busey was said to be appearing alongside other actors including Ralph Macchio, Tom Skerritt and Veronica Cartwright.
A lawyer for the convention, Nikitas Moustakas, said the convention company was 'assisting authorities in their investigation into an alleged incident involving attendees and a celebrity guest at its convention.'
'Immediately upon receiving a complaint from the attendees, the celebrity guest was removed from the convention and instructed not to return,' he said.
'Monster-Mania also encouraged the attendees to contact the police to file a report. The safety and well-being of all our attendees is of the utmost importance to Monster-Mania, and the company will not tolerate any behavior that could compromise those values.'
Just a few days later, Busey was later caught with his pants down as he sat on a Malibu bench with his hand between his legs.
The actor's spokesman has claimed that the actor maybe needed to relieve himself, which was why he was caught on camera with his pants around his ankles, his hands buried in his crotch.
'Gary often sits on the bench in front of his home to meditate and look at the ocean,' said a spokesperson for Busey on Tuesday.
They told Page Six: 'Our only guess is that perhaps at his age, he realized he couldn't get to the bathroom in time which explains what happened in the video of him on the bench.'
His representative also said Busey was on private property, but he was in full view of the public, wearing a shirt that referenced the 1991 Patrick Swayze and Keanu Reeves film Point Break, in which he had a supporting role.
The actor was filmed making his way to a bench at the lookout point, where he sat down, pulled out his phone, and then pulled down his pants.
He then stuck one hand down the front of his pants, appeared to clench his jaw, and then looked around to make sure no bystanders had caught him in the lewd act.
Busey is widely known as a character actor, largely in supporting roles, though he came to attention and was nominated for an Oscar for best actor for playing the title role in the 1978 film The Buddy Holly Story.
The New Jersey convention posted on Facebook that it was assisting authorities in their investigation into the claims of attendees
His various acting credits include Point Break, Under Siege, Rookie of the Year, Lethal Weapon, and Predator 2.
Busey is married to Steffanie Sampson. The couple has been together since 2006 and got hitched in 2008. They share one son.
Busey also has two children from previous relationships.
His son said that a 1988 motorbike crash significantly altered his father.
He suffered severe damage to the frontal lobe of his brain as a result of the crash, which made him 'more impulsive and prone to anger and delusions of grandeur,' according to a 2019 Hollywood Reporter profile.
'He was a vegetable in a wheelchair staring at the wall,' said Jake.
'At 17, I had to teach him with my mom to talk, to eat, to feed himself. To walk again. To write. That was very difficult for me at that age.'
He added: 'The post-accident version of him turned his personality up to 11.
'I feel like I lost my dad on December 4, 1988.'
The Hollywood Reporter profile detailed his lack of filter, following the accident.
They reported that while being photographed for the magazine, he asked a slim male photo assistant: 'Did you used to be a woman? You came out great.'
He then told a female hairstylist: 'If you're not having fun, I have something for you to have fun: I'll tickle you till you pee.'
Busey previously faced drug charges in 1995 when authorities found cocaine during a search of his Malibu home.
He was charged with one count of cocaine possession and three counts of possession of marijuana, possession of hallucinogenic mushrooms, and being under the influence of cocaine.
In the past, he has also been arrested on charges of spousal abuse.
In 2011, during a season of Celebrity Apprentice, he was accused of sexually assaulting a female employee of the show.
'We were smoking cigarettes outside, and Busey was standing next to me,' an employee told the Daily Beast in 2016.
'And then at one point, he grabbed me firmly between my legs, and ran his hand up my stomach, and grabbed my breasts.
'I didn't know what to do.
'So I made this joke that, 'Oh, I've never been sexually harassed by a celebrity before!'
'Then he grabbed my hand and put it [over] his penis, and said, like, 'I'm just getting started, baby.'
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Daily Mail
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13 minutes ago
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Chris Pratt dragged into Katy Perry's bitter legal row after he rented $15m home she forced bedridden veteran, 85, from
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"Perry has claimed millions of dollars in damages, and claimed that it's not liveable - it's clearly liveable because an A-list actor is renting it." PRATT TESTIMONY Pratt's name was mentioned several times in court filings by Westcott's legal team last Friday in documents submitted to the Superior Court of the State of California. Before Perry's damages claim goes to trial, Westcott's attorneys have asked Judge Lipner to consider a "status report of issues to be resolved." Their August 1 document claimed: "Now, just before the Phase 2 trial, there is new, never-before disclosed evidence that Perry has rented out the Westcott property to the actor Chris Pratt and his wife. "Per a recent Daily Mail online newspaper article... 'sources close to Perry' say she rented the house to actor Chris Pratt." 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"Another reason for allowing the short and few depositions is to allow Westcott and this court to know who owns the house after the recent split between Perry and her boyfriend Orlando Bloom." Their filings also alleged, "The current issues were caused by Perry/Gudvi waiting until after the September 2024 discovery cutoff to perform repairs, unless they did no repairs yet were still able to rent out the house as-is to Chris Pratt, which would tend to show the alleged repairs were exaggerated to drum up damages. "Either way, Perry's conduct is unfair and without the requested house inspection and short depositions requested by Westcott deprives him of a trial on the real merits." PERRY TO TESTIFY The source told The U.S. Sun today, "Judge Lipner confirmed that Katy will have to testify for at least an hour or more to the damages claim." Timeline of Katy Perry's mansion battle against veteran Carl Westcott July 2020: Entrepreneur Carl Westcott, US Army veteran and founder of 1-800 Flowers - sold his Montecito mansion to Katy Perry and Orlando Bloom for $15 million. Westcott had bought it only two months earlier for about $11.25 million. August 2020: Westcott filed a lawsuit against Perry and Bloom's business manager, Bernie Gudvi, alleging he was heavily medicated and not of sound mind when he contracted with Perry for the sale. The pop star's legal team countered and alleged that Westcott, who has Huntington's disease, had changed his mind on the sale, and the contract should be upheld. December 2023: A judge ruled in favor of Perry, and upheld the original sales contract. A Los Angeles judge ruled that Westcott failed to prove incapacity, finding him of sound mind during the sale negotiations. March 2024: The keys were exchanged. On May 17, 2024, Perry officially took legal ownership after the deed was recorded. 2024-2025: Phase two of the legal action - after the successful verdict, Perry lodged a damages claim for $6 million against Westcott, who is bedridden and currently receiving 24/7 care. This claim has yet to go before court. August 2025: Damage claims and ongoing litigation - Perry has paid $9 million so far for the luxury property and is now seeking $6 million in damages, citing structural defects, deferred maintenance, and lost rental income. TRIAL IN AUGUST The latest legal request follows filings submitted by Westcott's legal team, lodged in the Superior Court early July, and which outlined a further motion in the case. The July documents show that Westcott asked the court to "exclude any and all evidence, references to evidence, exhibits, testimony or argument relating to claims for alleged damages concerning repairs allegedly needed at Mr. Westcott's former home located at... Santa Barbara, California, as of May 17, 2024." Westcott's legal team explained in these earlier filings that escrow closed on May 17, 2024, and that Perry "must testify" in the penalty phase. "Since Gudvi had signed the contract in his capacity as the agent of the singer Katy Perry, the court ruled that Perry is the real-party-in-interest as to the damages being sought in the Phase 2 trial and that she must testify during the trial." Who is Carl Westcott? Katy Perry is suing the bedridden and ailing veteran, 85, who has a neurological disorder Carl Westcott was born in 1939 at the charity hospital in Vicksburg, Mississippi. Westcott and his five sisters lived in a house without indoor plumbing. When Westcott was six, his father - who drove a logging truck - left and never returned. His mother became a nurse's aide, earning just $5 per eight-hour shift. When he was five, Westcott sold papers in front of the Vicksburg Hotel, as well as chewing gum - he also shined shoes. "By the time I was eight, I was making more money than my mother." The judge ruled that the boy should go to Columbia Training School, a state institution, until the situation improved at home. When Westcott was 16, he asked his mother to change his birth date in the family Bible to prove he was old enough to join the U.S. Army. He became a paratrooper and was honorably discharged as a corporal After becoming a successful car salesman, he joined Sopp Chevrolet as the dealership's general manager. In 1983, Westcott bought the NBC television affiliate in Tyler, Texas. His firm, Westcott Communications, became a pioneer in producing training programs in 18 fields such as automobile dealership management, certified public accountants, and law enforcement personnel. The company went public in 1989, and Westcott sold it in 1996. He said that, throughout his lengthy life, he has treated others with respect and dignity. Source: Horatio Algar Association of Distinguished Americans - Westcott was an award recipient in 2003 The documents also said that the property title, "was vested in the name of an entity supposedly owned by Perry called DDoveB LLC, a California limited liability company, formed on April 9, 2024. "The name of the LLC closely resembles the name Perry's daughter, Daisy Dove Bloom, the child of Perry and her long-time actor boyfriend, Mr. Orlando Bloom. "Westcott's counsel has repeatedly asked Perry's counsel who owns the LLC that owns the house? "This court has always been told that Gudvi is Perry's manager and agent, and at her deposition before Phase 1 Perry testified the house was to be owned by her and she was buying it to live in, and not to rent." QUESTIONS OVER REPAIRS Westcott's legal team claimed in the July court document that under the terms of the house sale contract, it stated the home was being sold "in its present physical condition" and that the singer "had the right to perform inspections" prior to escrow being closed. They alleged that "Perry's lawyers did not even produce a written schedule showing each alleged item of repair and the cost Perry is seeking for each allegedly defective condition." His lawyers also claimed in the documents that "newspapers reported that Perry had just rented the house to the actor Chris Pratt, whose wife is the daughter of Maria Shriver, whom the court will recall from the Phase 1 testimony was bidding against Perry to buy the property in 2020." This revelation prompted Westcott's team to "immediately contact Perry's counsel" and ask for further details about her current rental agreement with Pratt, per the document. His lawyers also requested an "expert" to visit the property to "visualize any repairs." 8 8 The document added, "Given that many of her prior 'estimates' totaling $2.29 million pertained to habitability items, it defies logic and common sense that she was able to rent the house to a famous actor. "Perry's counsel flatly refused in a series of approximately half a dozen meet and confer emails to even disclose if repairs had been done." FAMILY HOME The Daily Mail reported in June that the singer had rented out the property to Pratt. A source told the paper, "The arrangement suits Chris, but it's a bit of a surprise given how Katy fought tooth and nail to get her hands on the house. "She previously suggested it was the ideal place for her and Orlando to raise a family. "After all that time, energy, and money, it seems unthinkable that they are not going to live in it." The U.S. Sun has contacted representatives for Pratt, Perry and Bloom for comment on the latest developments in the bitter case. STRUGGLE Westcott had intended to live in his home for the remainder of his life, according to his angry family. His son, Chart, ranted on X last November, 'My family has been in a struggle against… Katy Perry and now Orlando Bloom to defend the honor of my father, Carl Westcott, who is dying from Huntington's Disease. 'He is a US Army Veteran and winner of the Horatio Alger US award (an honor he shares with Clarence Thomas, Buzz Aldrin, and Donald Trump's father Fred Trump). 'Celebrity privilege, much like political lawfare, must end. We cannot afford any two tier justice in America.' The Horatio Alger Award is given to exceptional leaders who 'personify the American Dream' and have triumphed over adversity to achieve greatness. The latest revelations come as photos showed Justin Trudeau and Perry enjoying a night out in Canada after the singer split with Bloom earlier this year. 8 8
Daily Mail
13 minutes ago
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Woke Seattle lawmaker leaps ahead in election battle despite claims she's a massive bully
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Watkins did note there are 'still a lot of ballots to count,' but it is likely Rivera will at the very least remain in the top two. Rivera's candidacy has been shrouded in controversy, with accusers coming forward with unflattering anecdotes about the allegedly short-fused politician. The progressive lawmaker's controversies trace back to October 2021, just before she was elected to the city council. She worked as a volunteer security guard at a Seattle Pride concert, where some performers claimed she was wildly disrespectful in a letter to event leadership. The note asserted that Rivera worked in a manner that was 'hostile, confrontational, and bordering harassment' while guarding the backstage area. The artists collection alleged that Rivera ignored several of the performers and even tried to block some of them from entering the backstage area. 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Renton City Councilmember Kim-Khán Văn contacted local authorities about Rivera in a jaw-dropping email from December 2022. Văn described a year's worth of 'harassment and bullying' inflicted by her colleague Rivera. In light of the police report resurfacing, Rivera's partner, Jas Maisonet, spoke out on her behalf on Facebook She was requesting video footage from an event because she was 'harassed and verbally attacked by sitting Councilmember Carmen Rivera in public again.' Văn notified police, but did not file an official report. Afterwards she told the city's human resources department about her alleged run-ins with Rivera. Văn later claimed to Axios that Rivera got up in her face and started cursing at her during the event for several minutes straight. A month prior to the heated encounter Văn claimed Rivera tried physically stopping her from entering a meeting by placing herself between Văn and the door. Rivera fiercely disputed these accusations, telling Axios she 'was not yelling at her' and 'definitely did not curse at her.' In response to Văn's concerns, Renton Mayor Armondo Pavone issued a notice to the city council in January 2023. 'Councilmembers are not administrative employees subject to my supervision or control as the Mayor,' Pavone wrote. 'Currently, the Council has no formal process for receiving and addressing complaints of personal conflicts between councilmembers.' While admitting he could not intervene, he suggested adapting conduct codes regarding councilmember behavior. Aside from Văn, Axios reported other anonymous witnesses confessed to having similar experiences with Rivera. But Rivera claimed all of these accusations are baseless and at least one of the people who came forward had actually been bullying her - not the other way around. Her campaign consultant, Michael Charles, told Axios the accusations were 'politically motivated retaliation for her support of progressive policies. Concerns about Rivera have been raised as recently as June, with Winter Cashman, a King county candidate for the Public Hospital Commission, writing a bombshell letter to the editor in the Renton Reporter. 'When Carmen Rivera first ran for Renton City Council, I supported her. I believed in the importance of LGBTQ+ representation in our local government, and I hoped she'd bring both lived experience and a collaborative spirit to the role,' he began. 'But since that time, I've seen a continued pattern that's hard to ignore — and I can't support her re-election.' Cashman claimed Rivera 'escalated tensions' between candidates and had even accused people who supported her of 'undermining' her. He also claimed she once said 'all straight people are transphobic' and called him 'a little sh*t.' 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And behind that person is often a family that carries the emotional weight of public service quietly. 'Leadership isn't about being perfect; no one is. It's about showing up with integrity, listening, learning, and doing the work.' Rivera has used her social media platforms to promote her stances, as well as call out those who have spoken out against her. In a video from March, Rivera addressed 'right-wing basement bloggers' who decided to 'come after' her for supporting a trans Linwood City councilmember. Rivera claimed people calling her out were being transphobic and bigoted Although she is not explicitly named in the clip Rivera is likely speaking about Jessica Roberts, who came under fire around the same time when it became publicly known she was posting on Only Fans. Roberts admitted to the Lynnwood Times that she had made an Only Fans account to boost her self confidence while 'making a little cash on the side.' Soon after the news went public, she took down the account. She also allegedly had a Reddit account where she shared dark and explicit sexual content. Roberts resigned from her position amid the controversy. Rivera had voiced support for Roberts, calling a Lynwood Times report of Roberts' alleged online activity a 'grossly intentional misrepresentation of information.' She also said all the comments about Robert were 'ignorant and hateful.' 'When history looks back on these Nazi driven narratives, what will you say you did?' she wrote on X. Rivera told the Daily Mail she spoke out online because attacks on Roberts were 'rooted in ignorance and hatred.' 'Many women, including Jessica, have to deal with unfair standards and double standards. 'I would do that [speak out] for many women in the LGBTQI+ community in these positions who are being publicly filleted.' Rivera took the lead against her opponents for Council Position No 2, Mary Clymer, who accounted for roughly 29 percent of votes, and Raman Mann, who took about 26 percent. 'I'm really grateful that the voters can look past some of the distracting noise and see real leaders doing really good work,' Rivera told the Daily Mail. She and Clymer will compete for the seat in the general election in November, meaning there is still a chance she could be booted from her position. In Washington state, councilmembers do not run with political affiliations, although Rivera's stances are progressive.
