2021-09-22 DOJ SDNY press_release 119 KB 6,448 chars

California Man Charged With Perjury For Suing Hollywood Executives Under False Pretenses

Caption
United States v. Audrey Strauss, et al.
summary

Rovier Carrington, a 32-year-old Californian, was charged with perjury for fabricating and altering email evidence to support a $50 million civil lawsuit alleging sexual abuse and fraud by Hollywood executives, then lying under oath about their authenticity, leading to his arrest and pending prosecution in the Southern District of New York.

paragraph

Rovier Carrington, 32, of Los Angeles, was charged with one count of perjury for submitting fabricated and materially altered email chains as evidence in a $50 million civil lawsuit against Hollywood executives, claiming sexual assault and fraud related to a reality TV show. The emails, which he swore were authentic under penalty of perjury, could not be verified in the alleged senders’ accounts, and two were confirmed to have been edited by Carrington; he also deleted key email accounts after filing the suit and in violation of a court preservation order. Carrington faces a maximum five-year prison sentence and was arrested in California before being transferred to the Southern District of New York for prosecution.

narrative

Rovier Carrington, a 32-year-old man from Los Angeles, was charged with perjury for fabricating and altering email evidence to support a $50 million civil lawsuit in the Southern District of New York, in which he accused Hollywood executives of sexual assault and fraud concerning the production of his reality television program. The lawsuit included ten email chains as exhibits, purporting to show coercive and sexually explicit communications from executives, but law enforcement determined these were either entirely invented or substantially modified from authentic versions found in other parties’ accounts. Carrington deleted the contents of two email accounts—one the day after filing the amended complaint and another two months later—violating a court-issued preservation order. He also submitted a sworn statement affirming the emails’ authenticity, despite being unable to produce original versions or demonstrate their provenance. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, with assistance from the Central District of California and the U.S. Marshals Service, uncovered the deception during the civil case’s investigation. Carrington was arrested in California and brought to New York to face criminal charges, which carry a maximum sentence of five years in prison. The case highlights the severe legal consequences for falsifying evidence and committing perjury in federal court proceedings.

Enriched metadata

Scheme
obstruction (95%)
Court
Southern District of New York
Outcome
charged
Classified obstruction(confidence 95%). No EDGAR filing fingerprint (criminal/DOJ-side scheme). detection rule →
Parties
audrey straussemail chainshollywood executivesrovier carringtonu.s. attorney's office, southern district of new york
Keywords
carringtonemail chainsemailcivil carringtonperjurychainsnewcivilhollywood executivesemail accountspartycaliforniahollywoodlinkamended

Extracted insights

Dollar amounts 2
  • $50.00M $50 Million $10M–$100M
  • $50.00M $50 million $10M–$100M
Entities 5
  • person audrey strauss
  • person email chains
  • person hollywood executives
  • person rovier carrington
  • agency u.s. attorney's office, southern district of new york
Triples 11
  • Rovier Carrington charged with Perjury
  • Rovier Carrington filed $50 Million Suit in Southern District of New York
  • Rovier Carrington sued Hollywood Executives
  • Rovier Carrington sought damages of $50 Million
  • Rovier Carrington committed perjury Between June 2018 and July 2018
  • Rovier Carrington included fabricated Ten Email Chains as Exhibits
  • Rovier Carrington alleged Sexual Assault and Fraud by Hollywood Executives
  • Audrey Strauss announced Criminal Charges Against Rovier Carrington
  • U.S. Attorney's Office, Southern District of New York charged Rovier Carrington with Perjury
  • Rovier Carrington arrested Central District of California
  • Email Chains were Faked
View original DOJ press releasejustice.gov
Extracted body text (6,448c)
Press Release California Man Charged With Perjury For Suing Hollywood Executives Under False Pretenses Wednesday, September 22, 2021 Share FacebookLinks to other government and non-government sites will typically appear with the “external link” icon to indicate that you are leaving the Department of Justice website when you click the link. XLinks to other government and non-government sites will typically appear with the “external link” icon to indicate that you are leaving the Department of Justice website when you click the link. LinkedInLinks to other government and non-government sites will typically appear with the “external link” icon to indicate that you are leaving the Department of Justice website when you click the link. Email For Immediate Release U.S. Attorney's Office, Southern District of New York The $50 Million Suit Filed by ROVIER CARRINGTON in the Southern District of New York Included Fabricated Claims of Sexual Abuse in Submissions to the Court Audrey Strauss, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that ROVIER CARRINGTON was charged in a criminal complaint unsealed yesterday with perjury. CARRINGTON was arrested yesterday and presented in the Central District of California. Manhattan U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss said: “As alleged, Rovier Carrington faked evidence to support a $50 million lawsuit in the Southern District of New York making extremely serious allegations, and then lied about faking that evidence under penalty of perjury. Now he will return to the Southern District of New York—this time to face criminal charges.” According to the allegations contained in the Complaint[1] unsealed yesterday in Manhattan federal court: Between at least June 2018 and July 2018, CARRINGTON committed perjury in connection with a civil lawsuit (the “Civil Case”) filed in the Southern District of New York. In the Civil Case, CARRINGTON sued Hollywood executives alleging that the executives had sexually assaulted him, and that they had defrauded him in connection with a decision to refuse to produce CARRINGTON’s reality television program. CARRINGTON sought damages of $50 million in the Civil Case. In support of his allegations in the Civil Case, CARRINGTON included as exhibits to an amended complaint ten email chains that included the following purported exchanges: CARRINGTON: I need your help. I’m not built for this. [third party] has threaten me and [Executive-1] thinks I’m supposed to constantly sleep with him for my projects. I was promised my series and reality show would make the studio a lot of money. [Third party] is a piece of shit and a pimp. I’m not a whore. After this Harvey [Weinstein] bullshit. I’m done. Counterparty Account-1: Trend my man. You have to obey [third party] if you plan on continuing. [Executive-1] has ruined your chances after that Harvey [Weinstein] shit. I understand screwing these Hollywood fucks is tough but it’s that Hollywood shit man. CARRINGTON: Thank you for reviewing my reality concept. I have so many ideas like a bisexual love interest and I could seek a third whose fully gay, but pick only one during the finale. Major right ? Hopefully that doesn’t take away from the public’s interest in my dramatic series, which I’ll send you. I’ll discuss with [third party] and [third party] for the press. Omg, we could totally pitch to [Executive-2’s company] due to you convincing [third party] to release me I just request you protect me from him and [Executive-1] who ruined my [third party company] deal. I must mention, I pondered if you had me eradicate my business relationship with [third party] just so you could own me and not really produce my shows... You totally request sex before business so just thoughts. Executive-2: Babe, all I can think about is pounding you like I did when you were a boy. Daddy owns you. My boy... :) But those email chains were faked. In response to an investigation by the District Court overseeing the Civil Case, CARRINGTON was unable to produce the original versions of any of the email chains. The versions of the email chains attached to the amended complaint could also not be located in the email accounts belonging to others that had allegedly sent and received the emails chains. Moreover, law enforcement determined that versions of two of the email chains attached to the amended complaint did in fact exist in the email accounts belonging to others, although the versions attached to the amended complaint had been substantially altered by CARRINGTON in order to support his allegations in the Civil Case. CARRINGTON deleted the contents of one of his email accounts that allegedly contained some of the email chains the day after he filed the amended complaint. He deleted the contents of another of his email accounts that allegedly contained some of the email chains two months later, in violation of a preservation order that the District Court had issued in the Civil Case. CARRINGTON submitted a statement swearing under penalty of perjury that the email chains in the amended complaint had not been faked or altered. CARRINGTON, 32, Los Angeles, California, is charged with one count of perjury, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison. The maximum potential sentences in this case are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the judge. Ms. Strauss praised the outstanding investigative work of the Special Agents of the Southern District of New York. Ms. Strauss also thanked the United States Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California for their assistance in the case, and thanked the United States Marshals Service for its assistance in the apprehension of CARRINGTON. The case is being handled by the Office’s General Crimes Unit. Assistant United States Attorney Kevin Mead is in charge of the prosecution. The charges in the Complaint are merely accusations and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. [1] As the introductory phrase signifies, the entirety of the text of the Complaint and the description of the Complaint set forth herein constitute only allegations, and every fact described should be treated as an allegation. Contact Nicholas Biase, Jim Margolin (212) 637-2600 Updated September 22, 2021 Topic Financial Fraud Component USAO - New York, Southern Press Release Number: 21-247
OCR text (6,448c · plain-text · 99% conf)
Press Release California Man Charged With Perjury For Suing Hollywood Executives Under False Pretenses Wednesday, September 22, 2021 Share FacebookLinks to other government and non-government sites will typically appear with the “external link” icon to indicate that you are leaving the Department of Justice website when you click the link. XLinks to other government and non-government sites will typically appear with the “external link” icon to indicate that you are leaving the Department of Justice website when you click the link. LinkedInLinks to other government and non-government sites will typically appear with the “external link” icon to indicate that you are leaving the Department of Justice website when you click the link. Email For Immediate Release U.S. Attorney's Office, Southern District of New York The $50 Million Suit Filed by ROVIER CARRINGTON in the Southern District of New York Included Fabricated Claims of Sexual Abuse in Submissions to the Court Audrey Strauss, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that ROVIER CARRINGTON was charged in a criminal complaint unsealed yesterday with perjury. CARRINGTON was arrested yesterday and presented in the Central District of California. Manhattan U.S. Attorney Audrey Strauss said: “As alleged, Rovier Carrington faked evidence to support a $50 million lawsuit in the Southern District of New York making extremely serious allegations, and then lied about faking that evidence under penalty of perjury. Now he will return to the Southern District of New York—this time to face criminal charges.” According to the allegations contained in the Complaint[1] unsealed yesterday in Manhattan federal court: Between at least June 2018 and July 2018, CARRINGTON committed perjury in connection with a civil lawsuit (the “Civil Case”) filed in the Southern District of New York. In the Civil Case, CARRINGTON sued Hollywood executives alleging that the executives had sexually assaulted him, and that they had defrauded him in connection with a decision to refuse to produce CARRINGTON’s reality television program. CARRINGTON sought damages of $50 million in the Civil Case. In support of his allegations in the Civil Case, CARRINGTON included as exhibits to an amended complaint ten email chains that included the following purported exchanges: CARRINGTON: I need your help. I’m not built for this. [third party] has threaten me and [Executive-1] thinks I’m supposed to constantly sleep with him for my projects. I was promised my series and reality show would make the studio a lot of money. [Third party] is a piece of shit and a pimp. I’m not a whore. After this Harvey [Weinstein] bullshit. I’m done. Counterparty Account-1: Trend my man. You have to obey [third party] if you plan on continuing. [Executive-1] has ruined your chances after that Harvey [Weinstein] shit. I understand screwing these Hollywood fucks is tough but it’s that Hollywood shit man. CARRINGTON: Thank you for reviewing my reality concept. I have so many ideas like a bisexual love interest and I could seek a third whose fully gay, but pick only one during the finale. Major right ? Hopefully that doesn’t take away from the public’s interest in my dramatic series, which I’ll send you. I’ll discuss with [third party] and [third party] for the press. Omg, we could totally pitch to [Executive-2’s company] due to you convincing [third party] to release me I just request you protect me from him and [Executive-1] who ruined my [third party company] deal. I must mention, I pondered if you had me eradicate my business relationship with [third party] just so you could own me and not really produce my shows... You totally request sex before business so just thoughts. Executive-2: Babe, all I can think about is pounding you like I did when you were a boy. Daddy owns you. My boy... :) But those email chains were faked. In response to an investigation by the District Court overseeing the Civil Case, CARRINGTON was unable to produce the original versions of any of the email chains. The versions of the email chains attached to the amended complaint could also not be located in the email accounts belonging to others that had allegedly sent and received the emails chains. Moreover, law enforcement determined that versions of two of the email chains attached to the amended complaint did in fact exist in the email accounts belonging to others, although the versions attached to the amended complaint had been substantially altered by CARRINGTON in order to support his allegations in the Civil Case. CARRINGTON deleted the contents of one of his email accounts that allegedly contained some of the email chains the day after he filed the amended complaint. He deleted the contents of another of his email accounts that allegedly contained some of the email chains two months later, in violation of a preservation order that the District Court had issued in the Civil Case. CARRINGTON submitted a statement swearing under penalty of perjury that the email chains in the amended complaint had not been faked or altered. CARRINGTON, 32, Los Angeles, California, is charged with one count of perjury, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison. The maximum potential sentences in this case are prescribed by Congress and are provided here for informational purposes only, as any sentencing of the defendant will be determined by the judge. Ms. Strauss praised the outstanding investigative work of the Special Agents of the Southern District of New York. Ms. Strauss also thanked the United States Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California for their assistance in the case, and thanked the United States Marshals Service for its assistance in the apprehension of CARRINGTON. The case is being handled by the Office’s General Crimes Unit. Assistant United States Attorney Kevin Mead is in charge of the prosecution. The charges in the Complaint are merely accusations and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. [1] As the introductory phrase signifies, the entirety of the text of the Complaint and the description of the Complaint set forth herein constitute only allegations, and every fact described should be treated as an allegation. Contact Nicholas Biase, Jim Margolin (212) 637-2600 Updated September 22, 2021 Topic Financial Fraud Component USAO - New York, Southern Press Release Number: 21-247