Copperfield's accuser charged with lying to police
Illusionist was cleared of rape charges earlier this month
January 27, 2010, 2:28 p.m.
STAFF REPORT
A former Miss Washington USA who claimed she was raped by David Copperfield on his private island in the Bahamas when she was 21 has now been charged with prostitution and making a false accusation in another case, according to Copperfield's attorney and Washington state officials.
"Local authorities have charged Mr. Copperfield's accuser with making yet another false claim of rape, this time against a Seattle-area businessman, and with prostitution," Copperfield lawyer Patty Eakes said Tuesday.
King County, Washington, prosecutor Susan Irwin said in criminal complaints filed Monday that Lacey Carroll committed the alleged offenses on December 2, 2009.
"These developments vindicate Mr. Copperfield and confirm what he has said all along - this woman tried to extort money from him by making a false claim," Eakes said. "Thankfully, authorities have now stepped in to stop her."
The U.S. Attorney's Office in Washington filed documents earlier this month stating that they were dropping the case.
Prosecutors offered no explanation as to what they found during their investigation or why the case had been dropped. No charges were ever filed against Copperfield.
Representatives for the magician alleged that the woman was untruthful, and that he never forced himself on her.
The investigation went public more than two years ago, when law enforcement officials conducted searches at Copperfield's property warehouse and magic museum in Las Vegas.