Federal prosecutors closed a two-year investigation into rape allegations against magician David Copperfield on Tuesday without filing charges.
The notice came in a brief court document filed Tuesday by Assistant U.S. Attorney Susan Roe.
The woman who made the complaint, a 22-year-old fashion model and former Miss Washington contestant, said in a related civil lawsuit against Copperfield that she met him during a performance in Kennewick and was invited to visit his private island in the Bahamas in July 2007.
The woman claimed that once she arrived, Copperfield, whose real name is David Kotkin, sexually assaulted her.
The illusionist’s lawyers said he denied the allegations and called the lawsuit “extortion for money, plain and simple.”
The U.S. attorney’s office in Seattle declined to discuss why no charges were filed. In a written statement, spokeswoman Emily Langlie said that generally, investigations may be closed without charges if prosecutors determine there is no federal jurisdiction, no federal laws were broken, or that it would not be possible to prove the charges beyond a reasonable doubt.
“Neither the investigation, nor its termination, should be perceived as a comment on guilt or innocence,” the statement said.
Copperfield’s lawyers did not immediately have a comment when contacted Tuesday. Lawyers for the woman did not immediately return a call seeking comment.
Magician David Copperfield has won a six-month stay in a lawsuit filed in July by a Seattle woman who contends Copperfield sexually assaulted her while she was a guest on his private island in the Bahamas.
U.S. District Judge John Coughenour stayed the case Tuesday so the U.S. attorney’s office in Seattle can complete a criminal investigation. Copperfield has denied the woman’s allegations.
Cooperfield said he was being put in the untenable legal position of having to provide information in the civil case that could be used against him in a criminal prosecution.
The Seattle Times describes the woman as a former Miss Washington USA contestant. She says she met Copperfield during a performance in Kennewick, Wash., and was invited to visit his island in July 2007.
A Seattle woman has sued magician David Copperfield, contending he sexually assaulted and threatened her while she was a guest on his private island in the Bahamas.
Copperfield’s lawyers Angelo Calfo and Patty Eakes deny the allegations and say the lawsuit is “extortion for money, plain and simple.”
No criminal charges have been filed.
The Seattle Times describes the woman as a 22-year-old fashion model and former Miss Washington USA contestant. She says she met Copperfield during a January 2007 performance in Kennewick and that year she was invited to his private island.
The Times says the lawsuit was filed July 29 in federal court in Seattle against David Seth Kotkin, Copperfield’s given name. That date was the deadline for a two-year statute of limitations.
