Allegations of sexual assault are nothing to take lightly, and when those accusations are made against fixtures in pop culture, things can get very public and very messy, very fast. That's what happened this week when popular YouTuber Austin McBroom of the Ace Family was accused of brutally raping a friend of beauty vlogger Cole Carrigan. The situation has continued to grow, with both sides gearing up with lawyers and ready to take action, and an intense game of "he said, she said" continues.
Trigger warning: Some of the ahead allegations may be extremely disturbing.
On Tuesday, beauty vlogger Cole Carrigan released a video alleging that YouTuber Austin McBroom raped his friend in a Miami hotel.
In a graphic and detailed video, Carrigan alleged that his friend was brutally raped by McBroom and members of his team, including his father, during a scheduled vacation in Miami. Providing what he claims are receipts to back up the story, Carrigan posted alleged text messages between McBroom and the said victim, photos of the alleged aftermath of the assault, which included a horrific photo of blood covering a hotel bed comforter, and even spoke to the alleged victim while filming.
McBroom vehemently rejected the claims, claiming he was being extorted by Carrigan.
"Bullying, extortion, slander, and defamation of character is something I will not stand for, and I can promise that justice will be served," McBroom wrote in a Twitter statement. Alongside his statement was a post from the alleged victim's Instagram, Leslie Hannah Belle, in which she said that she in fact wasn't raped, and provided texts between her and Carrigan where he emphasized how much money he could make from the video.
McBroom went on to say that legal action would be taken.
McBroom said that he and his family have hired a former senior prosecutor to represent him during this time. He didn't specify, however, exactly what legal actions he would be pursuing.
However, last night, Carrigan took to his Twitter to refute those claims.
"No, I'm not getting sued for 'extortion' but Austin McBroom & his team will be arrested for sexual assault. My intentions were wrong in the beginning but I realized what was more important and THAT is why my video was uploaded with factual evidence. No amount of $ was EVER involved," he wrote.
And he claims that McBroom is posting out of fear.
"If Austin was really a 'victim' of 'extortion,' why post [three] different statements about how [you're] getting your lawyers involved? if you were really a victim, there would be no case to fight? Heâs scared bc I posted FACTS," he continued.Â
While the legalities of the situation have yet to be confirmed, Carrigan's video and posts remain up.
