Gary Busey was sentenced to two years probation Thursday after previously pleading guilty to charges stemming from an incident where the actor purposely groped a woman’s buttocks at a New Jersey horror convention in 2022.
The initial incident occurred at the semi-annual Monster-Mania Con in Cherry Hill, New Jersey in August 2022, with several women who posed with Busey accusing the actor groping them. The woman later filed reports with local police, and Monster-Mania organizers stated at the time that an unnamed celebrity was “removed from the convention and instructed not to return.”
Busey was ultimately charged with two counts of criminal sexual contact in the fourth degree; one count of attempting criminal sexual contact in the fourth degree, and one disorderly conduct count of harassment.
The actor initially denied the allegations: “None of that happened,” he told TMZ in 2022. “There were a partner, and a camera lady, and me and two girls. It took less than 10 seconds, and then they left. Then, they made up this story that I assaulted them sexually — but I did not.”
However, as part of his plea deal with prosecutors, the actor agreed to plea guilty to a single charge of fourth-degree criminal sexual contact in late July.
That charge carried a punishment of one to five years of probation, with the judge handing Busey two years of probation at the actor’s sentencing Thursday; the sentencing was done virtually, and Busey did not attend the hearing, the Associated Press reports. According to CBS Philadelphia, Busey’s lawyer sought a monetary penalty only, citing the 81-year-old actor’s health issues like early dementia.
From Rolling Stone US
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