Cuba Gooding Jr. pleaded guilty to forcible touching and sex assault on Wednesday in Manhattan, where prosecutors accused him of groping three different women. Until now, Gooding had denied the charges, which were all misdemeanors, and the defense argued that the actor had been unfairly tarnished by the #MeToo fervor.
Gooding admitted to two other incidents of non-consensual contact in October 2018 and June 2019 and pleaded guilty to forcible touching, a class A misdemeanor.
Cuba Gooding Jr — accused by dozens of women of sexual assault, some rape — just pleaded guilty to misdemeanor forcible touching charges. His lawyer Frank Rothman stunned the court when he interrupted a victim during her impact statement and accused her of being delusional. pic.twitter.com/4yu4nf3mjo
— Molly Crane-Newman (@molcranenewman) April 13, 2022
Gooding must complete the six-month alcohol and behavior modification treatment he began in 2019 and refrain from making any new arrests under the terms of the plea agreement. After the six-month period, the charge will be reduced to a non-criminal violation if he follows the terms of the deal.
“We fully credit and believe all of the survivors in this case and thank all of the women and other witnesses who cooperated with our office during the pendency of our investigation,” ADA Coleen Balbert said during the actor’s court appearance.
Ira Judelson, known as the “bondsman to the stars,” was Gooding Jr.’s bail bondsman in the case. He has worked with celebrities such as DMX, Ja Rule, and Harvey Weinstein.
Cuba Gooding Jr’s sexual abuse accusations
Gooding was arrested in June 2019 at the Magic Hour Rooftop Bar & Lounge in Times Square after a 29-year-old woman claimed he squeezed her breast.
In October 2018, the actor was also accused of pinching the buttocks of TAO Downtown server Natasha Ashworth and engaging in “sexual contact without consent” with a woman at LAVO Nightclub on the Upper East Side.
BREAKING: Actor Cuba Gooding Jr has pleaded guilty to forcibly touching a woman at a New York nightclub. pic.twitter.com/leOC17k9By
— TalkTV (@TalkTV) April 13, 2022
Despite the fact that their accounts did not form the basis of the criminal charges, prosecutors wanted to call two more women to testify about their encounters with Gooding. Former New York City District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. had initially refused to negotiate a deal with the Oscar winner.
