The Major Lazer star breaks his silence on sexual misconduct allegations, describing his accuser as a 'stalker' and 'obsessed fan' who allegedly tried to extort him.
- Oct 8, 2021
AceShowbiz - Diplo "will not give in to lies and harassment" while addressing sexual misconduct allegations against him for the first time.
In a lengthy Instagram post, the "Lean On" star, real name Thomas Pentz, told fans that he didn't want to speak about the claims that were allegedly made by his "stalker."
Shelly Auguste filed a lawsuit against Diplo in 2020, claiming that he groomed her for sex when she was a teenager, distributed revenge porn following their split, and intentionally gave her a sexually transmitted disease.
However, as he responded to the claims via his lawyer last year, Diplo revealed he had a restraining order against Auguste, who had been "harassing" him and his family for "more than a year."
And as he opened up on Instagram on Wednesday (06Oct21), the musician explained, "It was my goal to never address a stalker... She was an obsessed fan of mine, and after I relinquished all contact with her, it appears that her only purpose in life has been to disrupt my work, my business, harass me and my close friends and attack me and threaten my family."
Diplo went on to say that he hired a private detective to look into Auguste and learned that a judge in Florida had already issued a "permanent restraining order to protect a family in Florida."
"Specifically, the Florida judge said this, 'I do believe, that at this time, we do have enough in the record, a combination of testimony, physical evidence, regarding providing the elements of stalking in this case. The judge also said this, 'I don't know how else to protect this family because I can't - the court cannot control or predict your future behaviour,' " he continued.
"The judge also said, 'This is more than just immaturity. This is dangerous behaviour where she does not abide by authority, no respect for authority at all and so she has been properly warned.' "
Diplo alleged that Auguste hired famed attorney Lisa Bloom to represent her, but was dropped as a client by the lawyer when he told her he "wouldn't give her a penny." He also shared text messages purportedly from Auguste, in which she contradicted many of the allegations in her lawsuit, such as him giving her chlamydia.
"This is so frustrating and embarrassing," Pentz concluded. "I am not this person and I won't be extorted by anyone no matter how stinging the press can be. Even over the past two years I've never been bothered by these rumours, if anything it has made me stronger and smarter, all of my friends and partners have never questioned me and that was what has been important to me. 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 in to lies and harassment."
Diplo's post came just hours after BuzzFeed News reported that the Los Angeles City Attorney's office is considering charges of invasion of privacy and intentionally giving someone a sexually transmitted infection, both misdemeanours in California, against the star. They have yet to make any official charges.
