In another news, According to Edward Ericson Jr.'s reporting, Epstein said he was able to build a case despite the anonymous blackmailer purporting to be a third party. “Our strong belief is that Lucian [himself] was the catfisher,” Epstein said.
Even if Brownlee was just a fellow victim of an anonymous tormentor, “the minute he became a coach, he had an obligation to report” any sexual harassment, Epstein told BaltimoreBrew.
During his first semester in fall 2018, someone purporting to be a young woman on social media contacted Williams and convinced him to send images of a “sexual nature” that he believed were “private and in the context of a developing romantic relationship,” according to the lawsuit.
Next, the lawsuit alleges, that person revealed that the woman did not exist and stated that Williams would have to “submit to further demands or risk the public disclosure of the material.”
Williams kept responding to the messages in “an increasingly futile attempt to appease his tormenter” out of fear of losing a spot on the team as well as payments for tuition and room and board, the lawsuit states. He believed that the release of the material would destroy his reputation and basketball career at Coppin State and cause embarrassment and shame for him and his family.
In spring 2019, Brownlee, then a senior, told Williams that he had also sent “sexual content” to the account, the complaint asserts.
The extortionist ordered Williams to “engage in sexual encounters” with Brownlee, the lawsuit alleges, and, after he resisted, resumed sending a “constant barrage of demands and threats” in fall 2019. By then, Brownlee had graduated and joined the coaching staff.
Later, the blackmailer demanded that Williams record a video of himself engaging in oral sex with Brownlee, the complaint asserts. “In the face of the threat of exposure and loss of his position in the basketball program and its financial support, and with the insistence and urging of Coach Brownlee, Plaintiff acquiesced,” the lawsuit alleges.
Brownlee could not be reached for comment, and he has not been charged with a crime. Epstein said he has heard that Brownlee is no longer with the university, even though he is listed on the university’s website as director of player development. Coppin State declined to confirm whether he is currently employed.
The threats continued, the complaint claims, and the extortionist at one point warned that there would be consequences for ignoring the requests.
“Upon information and belief, the blackmailer was Coach Brownlee,” the lawsuit alleges.
Eventually, Williams told his family that he was concerned with the blatant and unchecked use of drugs as well as inappropriate behavior from members of the team while traveling for away games, the complaint asserts. He did not tell them about the blackmail.
No comments:
Post a Comment