Brittney Lewis
Brittney Lewis
Brittney Lewis is a former model and actress originally from Salt Lake City, Utah. [1] In January, 2018 she publicly accused magician, David Copperfield of drugging and sexually assaulting her in 1988 when she was 17 years old. [0]
Early Life
Brittney Lewis on the cover of an Italian magazine in the 1980s [0]
Brittney Lewis is grew up living with her grandmother, Patricia Burton in Salt Lake City, Utah . From a young age she aspired to move to New York City and become a successful model. She looked up to modeling icons Elle Macpherson and Paulina Porizkova. Brittney attended Cottonwood High School in Murray, Utah. [-1] [0]
Career
Salt Lake Tribune article from August 26, 1988 about Brittney Lewis competing in the “Look of the Year” modeling contest held by Elite Model Management.
Brittney Lewis has modeled for fashion brands and magazines as well as having competed in modeling competitions.
In September, 1988 she competed in a “Look of the Year” modeling contest held by Elite Model Management. She also did print modelling for fashion brands. [1] In 2006, Brittney Lewis appeared on the cover of Salt Lake Magazine. [2]
In 1990, Brittney Lewis began her acting career.
She acted in the movies Ski Patrol and Desperate Hours in 1990. In 1991, Brittney acted in the movies Rubin and Ed and Dream Machine. In 1994, she acted in the television miniseries The Stand and the video game Noctropolis. In 1995, Brittney Lewis acted in the TV movie Just Like Dad and the drama film Unhook the Stars. [1]
In 2010, Brittney Lewis worked as Production Assistant on the animated adventure comedy drama film Alpha and Omega. In 2012, she was a Video Production Coordinator on the The Swan Princess Christmas an animated family/fantasy movie. [1]
Sexual Assault Allegations
Statement by David Copperfield about the allegations
David Copperfield on The Oprah Winfrey Show addressing the sexual assault allegation made by Lacey Carroll who was later arrested for making false statements in a different sexual assault case.
On Wednesday, January 24, 2018 in an exclusive article with The Wrap, Brittney Lewis went public with the allegation that the magician David Copperfield sexually assaulted and drugged her in 1988 when she was 17 years of age. [0]
According to Brittney Lewis the incident occurred in September, 1998 after she competed in a modeling contest in which Copperfield was a judge.
The Wrap spoke to Brittney Lewis’ best friend from high school, husband, ex-husband, and grandmother who was her primary caretaker at the time all of whom said Lewis told them decades ago about her accusations against Copperfield.
A chiropractor said Lewis told her about the accusations three years ago, and Brittney Lewis said she reported them to the FBI in 2007.
She has said that she is not seeking money from the magician or others.
“Always listen, and consider everything carefully,” he wrote.
“But please, for everyone’s sake, don’t rush to judgment.”
Britney Lewis said she met Copperfield soon after arriving in Atami, Japan site of the “Look of the Year” modeling contest held by Elite Model Management t in September, 1988. Copperfield was one of the judges in the contest. [0]
Britney Lewis said that soon after the “Look of the Year” contest, when she returned home to Salt Lake City, Utah , Copperfield invited her to one of his upcoming shows in California. [0]
Since Lewis was still a minor, Copperfield asked permission from her grandmother, Patricia Burton, Lewis and Burton told The Wrap.
Burton said she was apprehensive at first.
“He said, ‘Don’t worry, I’ll take care of her,” Burton said.
“I believed him.
He was very charming.”
She said Copperfield promised that Lewis would be accompanied at all times and that she would be staying in a separate hotel room from his.
Brittney Lewis said she traveled to California and believes the city was San Diego, California but admits she isn’t certain after nearly three decades. The Wrap found newspaper reports of two Copperfield shows in San Diego in early December of 1988. [0]
According to Brittney, the trip started well: Copperfield, 32 at the time, took her shopping and introduced her to his team with great fanfare.
She said she was flattered but made it clear she was not looking for anything romantic.
When Copperfield tried to hold her hand at one point, she politely declined, telling him they were “just friends,” she said.
Burton said Lewis called her and said Copperfield used a pseudonym when checking them into the hotel: “Simon Templar,” a fictional character from the 1960s TV show “The Saint.“[0]
“She said it was so exciting and they treated her so nice,” Burton said.
“He pushed everyone out of the way when he escorted her.”
After the show, Lewis said, Copperfield invited her to a bar.
She said she had barely touched her drink when she noticed him pouring something into her glass.
“I asked, ‘What are you doing?’ and he said, ‘Oh, I’m just sharing,'” Lewis said.
She said she took a few sips after that and blacked out.
The rest is hazy.
She said she remembers bits and pieces of that night, mostly flashes of herself being carried out to a cab, and him inside her hotel room wearing a black robe with shoulder pads.
She said she remembers him on top of her, kissing her, and his breath smelling bad.
She said her room was connected to his by a door.
“I remember my clothes being taken off,” she said.
“He was kissing my face and then I remember him starting to go down on my body with his face, and then, as soon as he started going down, I just completely blacked out.”
The next morning, she said, she woke up feeling sick and nauseated.
Copperfield came in through the connecting door shortly after, she said.
“He wanted to me know that nothing happened because I was underage,” she said.
“He said: ‘I didn’t enter you.'”
“There was no fluid but he could have had a condom,” she added.
Although she wasn’t due back home for a couple of days, she said Copperfield suggested it was “best” if she went back that day.
Brittney Lewis said she was relieved.
Her grandmother said she knew immediately that “something was wrong” when she called to say she would be home early.
She said that before she left, Copperfield made her write a letter saying she was okay.
“My therapist later told me that he made me write a contract to keep me quiet,” she said.
She got a call from one of Copperfield’s assistants a few months later, she said, informing her that Copperfield was going to be in Utah for a performance and asking whether she’d like tickets to his show.
She said she told the assistant she didn’t want to ever see Copperfield again.
In 2007, former beauty queen Lacey Carroll accused Copperfield of sexually assaulting her after taking her to his $50 million private island in the Bahamas. [0]
The Federal Bureau of Investigation investigated Copperfield for two years and even raided Copperfield’s Las Vegas, Nevada warehouse. The case was eventually closed with no official explanation, and Carroll dropped a civil lawsuit against Copperfield. [0]
Carroll was later charged with prostitution and making false sexual assault accusations against another man, in Washington state. In that case, she pleaded guilty to a charge of obstructing a police officer in 2010 and was ordered to pay a $953 fine, complete 30 hours of community service and attend an alcohol-awareness class. [0]
After the investigation closed, Copperfield told Oprah Winfrey during an interview: “I was the victim.” [10]
“To be falsely accused of something horrendous is devastating for yourself, your friends, your family, really bad,” he told Winfrey.
“I’m working on forgiveness.”
Copperfield elaborated in his statement Wednesday, saying he had been “falsely accused publicly in the past”:
I’ve lived with years of news reports about me being accused of fabricated, heinous acts, with few telling the story of the accuser getting arrested, and my innocence.
Knowing that false accusers can negatively impact the believability of others and are a true disservice to those who have been victims of sexual misconduct, I didn’t draw attention to it.
Brittney Lewis said she contacted the FBI soon after seeing reports of the investigation around 2007 in the hopes that her story could help other women.
She said an agent took her statement for more than an hour.
A spokeswoman for the FBI declined to comment.
Lewis and TheWrap filed a Freedom of Information Act request asking for a copy of Lewis’ statement, but has not heard back.
TheWrap also talked to a chiropractor who treated Lewis, Dr. Kaisa Coppola.
Coppola, who spoke to TheWrap at Lewis’ request, said she began treating Lewis in June of 2014 for lower back pain and digestive issues, but said it soon became evident that Lewis’ medical issues were “absolutely related” to her encounter with Copperfield.
“As a doctor I can tell you that pain has created ripples of health effects,” Coppola said.
“When you are taken advantage of at such a young age, it’s going to produce a hormonal reaction that is then going to have continued effects.
it’s going to create a trauma reaction which will then trigger Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.”
“Even talking about it the other day, she had a full-blown panic attack,” Coppola told TheWrap.
Brittney Lewis said she has no plans to pursue a criminal or civil suit against Copperfield, but even if she wanted to the statute of limitations would prevent her, said a legal expert.