Summary: Entertainment attorney Benjamin Adams is accused of sexually molesting a sexually confused teenager.
An entertainment attorney will stand trial for allegedly sexually abusing a teenage boy from Manhattan Beach. Thirty-two-year-old Benjamin Lawson Adams purportedly met the 14-year-old on Instagram by showing off photos of himself with celebrities and playing unreleased music from Troye Sivan.
Adams was ordered to appear at his arraignment on September 13 at Torrance Superior Court. He was arraigned on nine felony counts of lewd or lascivious acts, oral copulation, sexual penetration and sodomy with a minor under 16 years of age. They are also charging him with one count of possession of child pornography for material found on his MacBook.
His defense attorney painted a picture of a boy – who is now a transgender girl – that was mentally unstable and a gender-confused liar that made up the entire story of the sexual assault as a way of explaining away explicit photographs found on their phone. Judge Hector Guzman found the teenager to appear credible after hearing their three-hour testimony during the hearing. Guzman said, “I listened to her very carefully. There isn’t anything about her testimony that would cause the court to question her credibility.”
The teenager testified that she used an Instagram account where she went by her male name, dressed as a boy and was listed as 14-years-old. She claims that Adams reached out to her when she was a boy. At first, they communicated through social media sites such as Instagram and Snapchat, progressing to cellphone text messages. Once they had gotten to know each other, he sent her nude photos of himself. She explained that they engaged in the sexual activity at his West Los Angeles apartment as well under the Manhattan Beach Pier two times.
The girl went through her transformation soon after their relationship became known in October 2015. Deputy District Attorney Chad Gillette questioned the teenager, who said, “He got touchy. He was touching and kissing me. His hands were all over my body.” She added, “He would talk to me about his job, and on Instagram I could see he hung around with a lot of young people.”
The first time they met, the teenager snuck out of her house around midnight and walked a block from her house to where Adams could pick her up. They went to eat an IHOP where he showed off his photos with celebrities. Then they went to his apartment where he played unreleased music from South African-born Australian singer, songwriter and YouTube personality Sivan. The two ended up showering together and engaging in sexual activities. The teenager reported that they had another date where they had food at The Kettle in Manhattan Beach and then engaged in sexual acts under the city pier.
When Adams was arrested in June of 2016, Adams was working with CJ Worldwide, an affiliation of MGM Studios. He is no longer with the company and is running his own entertainment law business. He is a Pepperdine Law School graduate also worked as a production counsel for Bunim/Murray Productions and as director of business and legal affairs for The Weinstein Co.
The teenager said she was afraid to say much about what had transpired between her and Adams because of her father. Some of her information was provided to the Manhattan Beach police when she was a patient at a psychiatric unit. She had attempted suicide with pills due to her gender confusion. Each time she met with police, she provided more details.
Adams’ attorney Alan Jackson used the fact that the teenager provided different stories to damage the allegations credibility. He noted that a report made by the girl to Department of Children and Family Services about being assaulted by her father was disregarded.
Adams has admitted to kissing and hugging the teenager but claims everything else is a lie. He alleges that the teenager added to her story as her family became more comfortable with her transformation from a boy to a girl.
Do you think it matters if the girl made things up or not since Adams still had an inappropriate relationship with a teenager? Tell us your thoughts in the comments below.
To learn more about attorneys having inappropriate relationships with minors, read these articles:
- Maryland Criminal Defense Lawyer Picked Up for Soliciting Sex from a Minor
- Former FSU General Counsel Arrested for Soliciting Sex with a Minor
- Anthony Weiner Pleads Guilty to Sexting Teen; Wife Huma Abedin Files for Divorce
Photo: fitsnews.com