Rapper Fat Joe slams child sex abuse claims as $20M extortion scheme
Rapper Fat Joe is facing a $20 million lawsuit for allegedly engaging in sexual abuse against minors, among other accusations.
The lawsuit was filed on Thursday by his former hype man, T.A. Dixon, in the Southern District of New York. The suit accuses Fat Joe, whose real name is Joseph Antonio Cartagena, of a "sustained campaign of exploitation."
The rapper "systematically engaged in coercive labor exploitation, financial fraud, sexual manipulation, violent intimidation, and psychological coercion," Dixon claimed in the 157-page lawsuit, obtained by Fox News Digital.
The lawsuit added that it was "all intended to enrich" Fat Joe and his associates "while deliberately suppressing, silencing, and erasing [Dixon's] substantial creative, artistic, and commercial contributions, which were foundational to Defendant Cartagena's professional success and personal brand."
Fat Joe's lawyer told Fox News Digital, "The lawsuit filed by Tyrone Blackburn and Terrance Dixon is a blatant act of retaliation — a desperate attempt to deflect attention from the civil suit we filed first, which exposed their coordinated scheme to extort Mr. Cartagena through lies, threats, and manufactured allegations."
It added, "Law enforcement is aware of the extortionate demand at the heart of this scheme. The allegations against Mr. Cartagena are complete fabrications — lies intended to damage his reputation and force a settlement through public pressure. Mr. Cartagena will not be intimidated. We have taken legal action to expose this fraudulent campaign and hold everyone involved accountable."
Blackburn, Dixon's attorney, told Fox News Digital, "Fat Joe is Sean Combs minus the Tusi [a drug also known as "pink cocaine"]. It is clear he has learned nothing from his 2013 federal conviction," referring to the rapper's previous conviction on tax evasion charges.
Fat Joe's alleged exploitation extended "beyond financial fraud," Dixon's lawsuit claimed, adding he was allegedly forced into "humiliating situations, including sex acts performed under duress and surveillance, accompanied by threats" that he would be left in foreign countries if he did not comply.
The lawsuit also claims that two of Fat Joe's associates, Peter "Pistol Pete" Torres and Richard "Rich Player" Jospitre, who were also included as defendants in the lawsuit, "actively engaged in physical threats, violent assaults, and intimidation tactics on Cartagena's explicit instructions, sustaining a climate of fear and coercion against Plaintiff and others who challenged the Enterprise's control."
He claimed he was "coerced into more than 4,000 sexual acts to maintain his standing within the Enterprise."
Dixon also alleged that during his time with the rapper, he "personally witnessed" him "engage in sexual relations with children who were fifteen and sixteen years old."
"In exchange for cash, clothing, and payment of her cell phone bill, Defendant would get oral sex and other sexual acts performed on him by Minor Doe 1," the lawsuit claimed. Dixon said Minor Doe 1 was 16 years old.
He claimed that Fat Joe began having sex with a second minor when she was 15 years old after a concert overseas and paid for her to get a Brazilian butt lift.
Fat Joe also allegedly had sex with a third minor girl who met the rapper before she turned 16. He was "in love" with the third minor and "even contemplated leaving his wife" for her, the lawsuit claimed.
"In a recorded conversation, Minor Doe 3 and her 15-year-old cousin describe in detail to Plaintiff how 'inappropriate' it was for Defendant, who was in his late 30s at the time, to be fawning over children," the document alleged.
Dixon also worked as a "lyricist, background vocalist, security team member, and creative collaborator" during his time with the rapper, the lawsuit said, claiming he was "systematically excluded" from getting "fair compensation, proper attribution, and the substantial royalties and profits generated from his creative labor. Instead, Plaintiff was consistently underpaid, denied songwriting credits, and deliberately concealed from royalties and backend compensation."
Fat Joe sued Dixon earlier this year for allegedly defaming him on social media after Dixon claimed the rapper flew a 16-year-old across state lines for sex, according to Variety.
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