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| Photo by Christopher Macsurak (cc-by-2.0) |
Fashion industry photographer Terry Richardson is reportedly the subject of an ongoing NYPD investigation following multiple accusations of sexual assault. According to the NY Daily News, two former models and a Model Alliance representative confirmed that they have been approached by law enforcement as part of the investigation.
According to the report, NYPD Special Victims division detectives have spoken with former models Caron Bernstein and Lindsay Jones about their alleged encounters with Richardson. Both have previously accused Richardson of sexual assault, similar accusations to which have been made by some other women who have worked with Richardson over the years.
Richardson has long denied the accusations against him, and yet he has continued to face increased scrutiny following an editorial published by The Times in October 2017. The article claimed, among other things, that the photographer has a “reputation as the Harvey Weinstein of fashion.” Days later, a leaked email revealed that Condé Nast had ordered its publications to blacklist Richardson.
A representative of Richardson’s had issued a statement to HuffPost back in October about the Condé Nast email and the accusations in general, saying:
Terry is disappointed to hear about this email especially because he has previously addressed these old stories. He is an artist who has been known for his sexually explicit work so many of his professional interactions with subjects were sexual and explicit in nature but all of the subjects of his work participated consensually.
In a more recent statement to the NY Daily News, Bernstein shot down Richardson’s claims of innocence, saying, “I didn’t know this man from Adam. I would never walk in somewhere and agree to a sex act with a stranger. I’ve never done that in my entire life. Never in a million years.”
Neither the NYPD nor Richardson have commented on the NY Daily News report at this time.
Articles: Digital Photography Review (dpreview.com)
