The famous magician David Copperfield, famous for his illusions, such as the disappearance of the Statue of Liberty, was accused by the former American model Brittney Lewis of having drugged and raped her when she was 17 years old, in 1988. It was in statements for the newspaper The Wrap
According to the US media, Lewis met Copperfield in September 1988 during the Look of the Year modeling contest in Atami, Japan, in which he worked as a judge.
After the contest, the former model reported that she was invited by the magician to one of her shows in California, at the end of which, Copperfield took her to a bar, where she alleges that she was drugged.
"I asked him, 'What are you doing?', And he replied, 'I'm just sharing,'" Lewis told The Wrap, referring to the moment when Copperfield poured something in his drink.
At that moment, Lewis says he lost consciousness, but remembers having woken up in his hotel room with the magician on top of her, wearing a black robe and kissing her.
"I remember that they took my clothes off," he added. "I was kissing my face, and then I remember that it started to go down my body, and when it started to go down, I fainted completely."
The next morning, Lewis says, Copperfield went back into her room to reassure her that nothing had happened because she was a minor.
In addition, the exmodelo affirms that the magician forced her to write and to sign a letter in which she said that she was fine, but that she later interpreted it as a call to silence.
When in 2007 Copperfield was investigated for a sexual harassment case by a 22-year-old model, Lewis said he also reported his experience to the FBI, but nothing came of the complaint.
In a statement posted on his Twitter account on Wednesday, Copperfield seems to have anticipated recent allegations against him. In the message, the magician called the #MeToo movement a "crucial and long overdue" process, but he asked his readers not to "rush to judge" the accused without "considering everything carefully."
"I have lived years with false journalistic reports about me in which I was accused of atrocious acts, and with few telling the story of the accuser being arrested and of my innocence. Knowing that false accusers can negatively impact the credibility of others and that they are a real detriment to those who have been victims of sexual misconduct, I did not draw attention to it, "he wrote.
"So while I endure another storm, I want the movement to continue to flourish. Always listen, and consider everything carefully, but please, for the good of all, do not rush to judge, "he concluded.