Diplo denies allegations of sexual misconduct

Thomas Wesley Pentz, known professionally as Diplo, has denied allegations of sexual misconduct. He claimed that his accuser is "a stalker" that "scammed her way into [his] life and tried to extort [him] for millions and then sued [him] when she didn’t get what she wanted."

In a statement posted on Instagram, the Los Angeles-based DJ denied the allegations made by his accuser, who he referred to as "SA" and described as an "obsessed fan" of his.

He explained that they "had a night of consensual sex," but "after that experience...had exchanged texts for a few months, there was small talk, sexual flirting, she would send [him] pics and videos.."

"Eventually it got too much to handle and, I stopped contact with her when I realized she had started to become obsessed with me, it began a nightmare of almost three years of her harassing me and threatening me and my family and my friends," he said.

Diplo then explained how she found a way to contact him on Snapchat, and since he didn't really remember who she was at the time, they met up once more and had sex with her and her friends.

"I don't think she could physically harm me but I was afraid she was going to harm herself," he said. "We always took the high road when dealing with her."

The statement also included supposed texts between SA and Diplo, screenshots of her tweets, and more. You can read the full statement below.

Buzzfeed News reported that Diplo may face criminal charges for invasion of privacy and intentionally passing on a sexually transmitted infection. Rob Wilcox, the spokeperson for The Los Angeles city attorney's office, told Buzzfeed: "We are reviewing the referral and have no further comment at this time."

Last year, Diplo filed a restraining order against his accuser, who alleged he was distributing revenge porn. Diplo's lawyer, Bryan Freedman, denied the allegations.

"To be clear, in no way has my client violated any law," he said. "In fact, he has repeatedly made it clear that he wants nothing to do with this person."

This summer, Diplo was also scheduled to perform for the Baltimore Orioles baseball team, but it was canceled due to two lawsuits that accused him of sexual assault. One suit was dropped in July.

"There was absolutely irrefutable evidence that proved that the allegations it contained were false," said Freedman of the suit.

Diplo has denied all of the allegations and says he will not be extorted or harassed.

"Culture is quick to follow unsubstantiated claims," Diplo said at the end of his statement. "I'm a public figure and this comes with the territory and I understand that. I want to add also these previous claims have been dropped or abandoned and those facts go unreported."

"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," he added.

Read Diplo's full statement from Instagram below:

 

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