Michael Pitt, an actor recognized for his performances in “Boardwalk Empire” and “Dawson’s Creek,” faces allegations of sexually assaulting his former girlfriend, strangling her, and using both a cinder block and a piece of wood to attack her.
New York
City home, according to a grand jury indictment.
Pitt, 44, whose lawyers denied the allegations, was arrested Friday on nine counts including first-degree sexual abuse, criminal sexual acts, assault, attempted assault and strangulation. The indictment cites four incidents between April 2020 and August 2021 at Pitt’s home in the Bushwick section of
Brooklyn
.
The Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez’s office chose not to provide additional comments on Wednesday past what was stated in the indictment.
Pitt’s attorney, Jason Goldman, mentioned that they already possessed evidence that would clear his client’s name and anticipated that the case would be dropped soon.
“Regrettably, we inhabit a society where someone like Mr. Pitt — a highly skilled professional who would never even consider such offenses — could be detained based solely on the unverified account of a dubious person,” Goldman stated in a text message to The Associated Press.
He added, “In reality, this baseless claim is suspiciously raised some four or five years after the alleged incident, from a time when the two parties were in a completely consensual relationship.”
On Friday, Pitt entered a plea of not guilty to the allegations and paid $100,000 for his release on bail, according to Goldman. His next appearance in the Brooklyn courtroom is scheduled for June 17.
The Associated Press does not typically name people who say they have been sexually abused unless they come forward publicly, which the woman in Pitt’s case has not done.
The indictment alleges Pitt forcibly touched his ex-girlfriend sexually in April 2020. In August 2020, the grand jury alleges Pitt forced oral sex on the woman and assaulted her with a 4-inch-by-4-inch (10-centimeter-by-10-centimeter) piece of lumber.
The indictment also says Pitt attacked her with a cinder block twice in June 2021 and choked her in August 2021.
TMZ reported in 2022 that Pitt was arrested in Brooklyn for allegedly punching a man after taking his phone and, two months later, was brought to a hospital under police escort after a public outburst in New York.
Pitt, who grew up in West Orange,
New Jersey
, played the character Jimmy Darmody for two seasons on HBO’s “Boardwalk Empire,” with the cast led by Steve Buscemi winning Screen Actors Guild Awards in 2011 and 2012 for outstanding performance by an ensemble in a drama series. The show also won a Golden Globe for best drama series in 2011.
His first major role came in the 2001 film “Hedwig and the Angry Inch.” In 2005, he starred in “Last Days,” director
Gus Van Sant
‘s film about a fictional rock star inspired by Nirvana frontman
Kurt Cobain
He portrayed Henry Parker for one season on The WB’s “Dawson’s Creek” in 1999-2000.
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