Veteran actor Gary Busey has formally admitted guilt to a criminal sexual contact charge, stemming from an incident at the Monster-Mania Convention in August 2022, marking a significant turn in the legal proceedings that have shadowed his public image.
The 81-year-old actor pleaded guilty to one count of fourth-degree criminal sexual contact, specifically connected to the accusations that arose during the fan convention. This plea comes after months of legal wrangling and public speculation surrounding the alleged encounter.
In a pivotal moment in court, Busey unequivocally confirmed, “It was not an accidental touching,” directly addressing the nature of the contact. This admission was crucial for the court to accept his plea, and notably, other associated charges against him were subsequently dismissed.
The legal consequence for Busey now includes facing a potential sentence of one to five years of probation, in addition to fines. This outcome provides a definitive legal resolution to the highly publicized allegations against the Hollywood figure.
According to Blair Zwillman, Busey’s criminal defense attorney, a fundamental requirement for the judge to accept the guilty plea was the establishment of a “factual basis where he admits the offense.” This necessitated Busey’s direct admission that the contact was “non-consensual,” solidifying the grounds for his conviction.
This admission starkly contrasts Busey’s initial staunch denials when the news first broke in 2022. At that time, he emphatically stated, “No, I don’t carry any regrets with me ever. None of that happened,” attempting to refute the claims entirely.
Busey’s previous account of the event painted a different picture, claiming it involved only “a partner and a camera lady, and me and two girls,” asserting the encounter was brief, “took less than 10 seconds, and they left.” He consistently maintained that the subsequent story fabricated about him sexually assaulting them was untrue.
In response to the initial complaints, Monster-Mania convention organizers promptly released a statement confirming their assistance to authorities in their investigation. The convention also took immediate action by removing the celebrity guest from the premises and advising attendees to file a police report.
The resolution of this case with a guilty plea brings a close to the legal chapter for Gary Busey, underscoring the serious implications of the allegations and his eventual acknowledgment of the non-consensual nature of the contact during the convention incident.
