Asia Argento won't undergo criminal investigation following sexual assault scandal involving minor
Asia Argento — one of the first women to have actively spoken out against Harvey Weinstein in the wake of his sexual harassment scandal breaking out — was herself hit with similar allegations recently. However, the latest developments in the case is that the actress — and partner of the late Anthony Bourdain — is not going to undergo criminal investigations for statutory rape involving Jimmy Bennett, who was 17 at the time of the incident.
TMZ broke the news of the scandal that revolves around Argento and Bennett, and how she had settled with him for $380,000 regarding the incident that happened at the Ritz-Carlton Hotel in Marina del Rey, CA. New York Times had reported about the alleged incident, citing documents showing that when Bennett was 17, Argento had given him alcohol in the said hotel room, and then proceeded to kiss him, push him down on the bed, before performing oral sex on him and climbing atop the boy to have intercourse.
As per reports, Argento hasn't demanded an NDA. Being one of the first accusers against Weinstein, she feels confidentiality documents protects the bad guy. But what she did do was buy the rights to the photo that shows her and the then 17-year-old Bennett in the hotel bed, both topless. Following that, Bennett also gave up his rights to civilly sue her.
As per TMZ's reports, the L.A. County Sheriff's Department is only going to investigate sex crimes if the alleged victim themselves come out in the open and files complaints. A source from the sheriff's department also spilled to them that had Bennett still been a minor, they would have opened an investigation; but him being 22 now cancels all chances of that, especially since Bennett himself is yet to contact the police.
The whole paying off incident between the now 42-year-old actress and the former child actor and musician Bennett happened just last year. It has also been revealed that she paid him off to keep the whole matter under wraps.
For those clueless about the said victim, Bennett has appeared in countless Hollywood productions since the age of six, including films like 'Amityville Horror', 'Firewall', 'Poseidon', 'Hostage', and 2004's 'The Heart Is Deceitful Above All Things' — the last one being a movie where he played Argento's son.
While he had initially stayed away from all attention with his lawyer explaining that he will 'simply continue what he has been doing so far', the document procured by The Times has been able to allude that the 2013 incident was indeed traumatic for Bennett.
“We hope nothing like this ever happens to you again,” Carrie Goldberg, Argento's lawyer wrote in an April letter, where the settlement was labeled as "helping Mr. Bennett.” “You are a powerful and inspiring creator and it is a miserable condition of life that you live among shitty individuals who’ve preyed on both your strengths and your weaknesses.”