Weinstein accuser Asia Argento denies sexual relationship with underage teen, claiming extortion
Argento, who previously accused producer Harvey Weinstein of rape, denies having sex in a hotel with musician and actor Jimmy Bennett, who was 17 at the time of the alleged incident. She said boyfriend Bourdain paid Bennett to leave them alone
Italian actress and sexual abuse campaigner Asia Argento denied having had a sexual relationship five years ago with an underage teen, calling the allegations part of “a long-standing persecution”.
The New York Times reported on Sunday that Argento, 42, a Harvey Weinstein accuser and leading figure in the #MeToo movement, had paid actor and rock musician Jimmy Bennett US$380,000 over the alleged 2013 incident at a Los Angeles hotel.
Bennett was two months past his 17th birthday at the time of the alleged encounter, while Argento was 37. The age of consent in California is 18.
In a statement Argento said her late boyfriend, celebrity chef Anthony Bourdain who committed suicide in June, gave money to Bennett upon the condition that “we would no longer suffer any further intrusions in our life,”
“I strongly deny and oppose the contents of The New York Times article … as circulated also in national and international news,” a statement issued by her agent said.
