Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department detectives Monday served a search warrant at Marilyn Manson’s West Hollywood apartment in an investigation related to ongoing sexual assault and sexual battery allegations against the rock singer.
Sheriff’s investigators entered the residence early Monday morning and seized media storage units including hard drives, though Manson, whose real name is Brian Warner, was not at home at the time of the search, TMZ reported.
Deputy Eva Jimenez of the Sheriff’s Information Bureau confirmed to City News Service that the warrant was served at the West Hollywood apartment, though no further details were immediately available.
Warner was sued in April by “Game of Thrones” actress Esme Bianco for alleged sexual assault and sexual battery in what she described as a series of violent encounters.
The lawsuit, filed in federal court, alleged that Warner had used “fraudulent offers of movie and music video roles to convince Ms. Bianco to travel to Los Angeles, whereupon Mr. Warner then made threats of force and performed violent sexual acts on Ms. Bianco to which she did not consent.”
Also named in the suit is Warner’s former manager, Tony Ciulla, who is accused along with his management company of violating trafficking laws.
According to the lawsuit, Bianco, 38, was invited to Los Angeles from the United Kingdom by Warner with the promise of work, and after moving into the Goth rocker’s West Hollywood apartment in 2011, she was not allowed to eat, sleep or leave without his permission.
“Mr. Warner raped Ms. Bianco in or around May 2011,” the suit alleges.
Warner’s attorney, Howard E. King, said the allegations have no merit.
“These claims are provably false,” King said in a statement provided to City News Service. “To be clear, this suit was only filed after my client refused to be shaken down by Ms. Bianco and her lawyer and give in to their outrageous financial demands based on conduct that simply never occurred. We will vigorously contest these allegations in court and are confident that we will prevail.”
In February, actress Evan Rachel Wood accused Warner of sexual and physical abuse during their relationship, which lasted from January 2007 until August 2010. His record label, Loma Vista Recordings, dropped him following Wood’s accusation.
Warner denied Wood’s allegations in a social media post.
After Wood’s accusations, the sheriff’s department confirmed that its Special Victims Bureau was investigating the 52-year-old Warner for alleged domestic violence.
Copyright 2021, City News Service, Inc.
Who is “city news service?”
Marilyn Manson is one of the greatest rock artists around, especially live. And Brian Warner is one of the smartest and most talented musicians of his generation. In fact, he predicted this b.s. 20 years ago with a tour shirt that was emblazoned with the word: beLIEve.
Yes . And, you sir must be a robot .