Diplo issues statement over sexual misconduct allegations: ‘I am not this person’

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Kelly Rissman

US News Reporter

DJ and producer Diplo has issued a statement responding to the multiple accusations made against him, including rape, sexual assault, and the distribution of revenge porn.

Buzzfeed News reports that a 25-year-old woman filed a complaint with the Los Angeles Police Department in October 2020, accusing the EDM artist of recording and distributing sexually explicit videos without her consent. She also claimed that he knowingly infected her with chlamydia.

The city attorney’s office told the publication this week that, following an investigation into the woman’s claims, it is considering charging Diplo – real name Thomas Wesley Pentz – with invasion of privacy and intentionally giving someone a sexually transmitted infection.

In an Instagram post that includes screenshots of alleged messages from his accuser, Pentz insisted any sexual encounters with the woman were consensual. In turn, he accused her of being a “stalker” who had been harassing him, his family members and close friends, and claimed she had attempted to extort him for “millions”.

He denied that the woman, whom he referred to as “SA”, was a minor when he “had conversations or sexual intercourse” with her and claimed she had admitted this herself in messages.

He alleged that they had exchanged texts “for a few months” after having sex, which involved “sexual flirting” with her sending him photos and videos.

However, the Grammy-winning artist claimed the woman’s communications became “too much to handle” and he ceased contact with her. He alleged that this is when the woman began to harass him and his family.

Pentz’s attorney Bryan Freedman called the woman a “disturbed individual who has been stalking and menacing [Pentz], his family and his friends for years”, in a statement to the Los Angeles Times.

“As is well known, this person tried to extort [Pentz] for millions of dollars and, after he refused to pay her a penny… has been peddling her lies around the country in a desperate attempt to harm [Pentz] and those he loves, but she will not succeed,” he said.

Court documents claimed the woman “fell into the cycle of Diplo’s abuse” and that he would “put her down if she did not give into his demands”.

“He knew she was an impressionable and vulnerable young woman as he had groomed her since she was a teenager,” the documents said.

The woman was granted a temporary restraining order against Pentz in November 2020. He has previously sued her for stalking, trespassing and distribution of private materials, and was granted a temporary restraining order against her.

“This is so frustrating and embarrassing,” Pentz wrote in his Instagram post. “I am not this person and I won’t be extorted by anyone no matter how stinging the press can be.”

He added: “The people in my life know me for who I really am. I will continue to do everything I can to end this in the most respectful way, but I will not give into lies and harassment.”

If you have been raped or sexually assaulted, you can contact your nearest Rape Crisis organisation for specialist, independent and confidential support. For more information, visit their website here.