Actor Michael Pitt arrested on sexual abuse charges
"Boardwalk Empire" actor Michael Pitt was arrested and indicted in Brooklyn on Friday on charges of sexual abuse, criminal sex act, assault and strangulation, according to court documents.
The actor pleaded not guilty and was released until his next court date in June.
The charges stem from alleged incidents that occurred in 2020 and 2021, according to the Brooklyn District Attorney's Office.
The indictment alleges Pitt sexually abused an unnamed individual in April 2020 "by means of forcible compulsion."
In August 2020, the indictment claims he allegedly forced oral sex on an individual.
The indictment claims Pitt allegedly injured an individual with "a four by four" that same month.
In June 2021, the indictment claims Pitt allegedly assaulted an individual with a cinderblock.
In August 2021, the indictment claims he allegedly tried to strangle someone.
Individual identities are redacted in the indictment, so it is unclear if one or more persons is making allegations against Pitt.
In a statement to ABC News on Wednesday, Pitt's attorney James Goldman said, "Unfortunately, we live in a world where somebody like Mr. Pitt -- an accomplished professional who would never so much as contemplate these crimes -- can be arrested on the uncorroborated word of an unreliable individual. In reality, this baseless claim is suspiciously raised some four or five years after the alleged incident, from a time when the two parties were in a completely consensual relationship. We have already uncovered exonerating evidence and this case will be dismissed."
Pitt is best known for his role as Jimmy Darmody in the hit Atlantic City-based period crime drama "Boardwalk Empire."
In his role, Pitt starred opposite Steve Buscemi as an up-and-coming gangster in the underground crime world portrayed in the show.
Pitt, who also appeared in "Dawson's Creek" earlier in his career, has taken on several television roles since the end of "Boardwalk Empire," appearing in several episodes the NBC show "Hannibal." He's also starred in film roles such "The Dreamers" and "Last Days."
