Actor Michael Pitt charged with sex abuse, assault of ex-girlfriend in New York
Actor Michael Pitt known for his TV roles on Boardwalk Empire and Dawson s Creek is accused of sexually assaulting his ex-girlfriend choking her and attacking her with a cinder block and a piece of lumber at his New York City home according to a grand jury indictment Pitt whose lawyers denied the charges was arrested Friday on nine counts including first-degree sexual abuse criminal sexual acts assault attempted assault and strangulation The indictment cites four incidents between April and August at Pitt s home in the Bushwick section of Brooklyn Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez s office declined to comment Wednesday beyond the accusations listed in the indictment Pitt s lawyer Jason Goldman declared he already had exonerating evidence and expected the circumstance to be dismissed Unfortunately we live in a world where somebody like Mr Pitt an accomplished professional who would never so much as contemplate these crimes can be arrested on the uncorroborated word of an unreliable individual Goldman commented in a text message to The Associated Press He added In reality this baseless claim is suspiciously raised specific four or five years after the alleged development from a time when the two parties were in a comprehensively consensual relationship Pitt pleaded not guilty to the charges on Friday and posted bail Goldman declared He is due back in court in Brooklyn on June The Associated Press does not typically name people who say they have been sexually abused unless they come forward publicly which the woman in Pitt s circumstance has not done The indictment alleges Pitt forcibly touched his ex-girlfriend sexually in April In August the grand jury alleges Pitt forced oral sex on the woman and assaulted her with a -inch-by- -inch -centimeter-by- -centimeter piece of lumber The indictment also says Pitt attacked her with a cinder block twice in June and choked her in August TMZ revealed in that Pitt was arrested in Brooklyn for allegedly punching a man after taking his phone and two months later was brought to a hospital under police escort after a citizens outburst in New York Pitt who grew up in West Orange New Jersey played the character Jimmy Darmody for two seasons on HBO s Boardwalk Empire with the cast led by Steve Buscemi winning Screen Actors Guild Awards in and for outstanding performance by an ensemble in a drama series The show also won a Golden Globe for best drama series in His first major role came in the film Hedwig and the Angry Inch In he starred in Last Days director Gus Van Sant s film about a fictional rock star inspired by Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain He also played Henry Parker in one season of The WB s Dawson s Creek in - Source
