T.I. & Tiny accused of sexually assaulting and drugging multiple women; lawyer seeks investigation
Content warning: sexual abuse, drugging, rape.
Lawyer Tyrone A. Blackburn is seeking a criminal investigation against T.I. (Tip Harris) and his wife Tiny (Tameka Harris) on behalf of 11 people who allege that they were victimized by the couple or their associates, the New York Times reports. The Times references a letter sent by Blackburn on February 19, in which four women accused the couple of drugging and sexually assaulting them, including two instances of rape. Blackburn claims that the accusers had “eerily similar” experiences that spanned more than a decade, and that none of the women know each other, but described “sexual abuse, forced ingestion of illegal narcotics, kidnapping, terroristic threats and false imprisonment.”
The New York Times interviewed five of the people who allegedly “were drugged, raped or sexually assaulted by the Harrises or those in their orbit,” as well as friends and family members who said they were told of these cases soon afterwards. The Times also say that, in three of the cases, they “reviewed messages or photos that supported their timeline of events.”
“In interviews, the women portrayed the rapper and his wife as aggressors who deployed drugs, alcohol, money and their celebrity status to prey on and entrap women for sexual abuse, and then threatened violence against anyone who might speak out,” the article reads. You can read detailed depictions of the allegations here.
T.I. and Tiny’s lawyer Steve Sadow says that the couple “deny in the strongest possible terms these baseless and unjustified allegations.” “We fully expect that if these claims are thoroughly and fairly investigated, no charges will be forthcoming,” he continues. “These allegations are nothing more than the continuation of a sordid shakedown campaign that began on social media and now attempts to manipulate the press and misuse the justice system.”
This story is still developing. Read the full NY Times report for more.
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If you or someone you know is a victim of sexual assault, you can call the National Sexual Assault Telephone Hotline 24/7 at 800.656.HOPE (4673). More info at RAINN.org.