The Wire actor Gbenga Akinnagbe has accused New York journalist Lola Adesioye of sexual abuse for allegedly groping him in both May and June of 2020. But a lawyer for the writer says the actor is lying.
Akinnagbe, who is best known for playing drug enforcer Chris Partlow on the HBO series, alleges Adesioye grabbed his buttocks on two separate encounters, according to a criminal complaint.
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However, a lawyer for Adesioye says the allegations are false, because his client was in a consensual relationship with Akinnagbe.
“The charges here are a blatant, brazen lie,” attorney Robert Gottlieb said in Brooklyn Criminal Court last month according to the NY Daily News. “Apparently, she pinched his buttocks, which she admitted when she was arrested.”
“I’m sure the prosecutors would not want me to comment on it as it’s an active investigation,” Akinnagbe told the Daily News. “It’s an unfortunate thing altogether and I’ll let the courts handle it.”
Adesioye, a 38-year-old writer, was arrested in May 2021, after Akinnagbe stepped forward with the allegations last year. She was charged with two counts of forcible touching, sexual abuse and harassment for the encounters.
Akinnagbe, who also had roles on Nurse Jackie and The Deuce, has been battling it out with Adesioye in civil court for some time, even prior to these latest allegations.
The New York Post reports the two broke up when Adesioye sued Akinnagbe in January 2021.
Adesioye claimed she was owed more than $14,000 for unpaid labor. The actor countersued for $15,000 claiming Adesioye was his tenant and owed him rent. Both suits were eventually settled.
Adesioye is due back in court Aug. 10 to face her charges on sexual abuse.
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