Gary Busey pleaded guilty to a sex crime
Busey, 81, pleaded guilty to one count of fourth-degree criminal sexual contact connected to accusations from the Monster-Mania Convention on August 13, 2022.
“It was not an accidental touching,” Busey confirmed in court Thursday, according to Court TV. The actor’s additional charges were dismissed. Busey had been charged with two counts of criminal sexual contact in the fourth degree, in addition to one count of attempted criminal sexual contact. He now faces one to five years of probation plus fines.
Fox News Digital reached out to Busey’s representative for comment.
GARY BUSEY FACES SEX CHARGES IN NEW JERSEY
Busey’s criminal defense attorney, Blair Zwillman, told People magazine that in order for the judge to accept the guilty plea, “there has to be a factual basis where he admits the offense. He had to admit that it was non-consensual.”
“This was the best disposition for him. He’s glad to put this behind him. He is basically a family guy. He is not a criminal,” Zwillman told the outlet.
Busey first denied the sexual misconduct allegations after the news broke in 2022. “No, I don’t carry any regrets with me ever. None of that happened.”
According to the actor, there was “a partner and a camera lady, and me and two girls were the only ones in there.” Busey claimed the entire encounter “took less than 10 seconds, and they left. Then they made up a story that I assaulted them sexually, and I did not.”
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The “Buddy Holly” star insisted, “Nothing happened. Nothing. It was all false.”
He was also asked if there was any chance the actor had possibly been inappropriate and just unaware of his actions, to which he replied, “No, not inappropriate at all. I have eyewitnesses there.”
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At the time, Monster-Mania released a statement saying the convention was “assisting authorities in their investigation into an alleged incident involving attendees and a celebrity guest.”
“Immediately upon receiving a complaint from the attendees, the celebrity guest was removed from the convention and instructed not to return. Monster-Mania also encouraged the attendees to contact the police to file a report,” the post stated.
Fox News Digital’s Tracy Wright contributed to this report.
