Boy-Bander Sues Ex-Manager, Several Industry Players Over Alleged Underage Sexual Abuse

Boy bander Ricky Garcia is suing his ex-manager, a former APA agent, and several music industry players for allegedly grooming and sexually assaulting him during his teenage years.

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the Forever in Your Mind member says his “meteoric rise” was derailed because a group of industry execs preyed on him, claiming the alleged abuse began when he was just 12 years old.

In a complaint filed Tuesday to the L.A. County Superior court, Garcia — who formed FIYM with two other musicians formed in 2013 after he was eliminated from The X Factor — says his ex-manager Joby Harte raped and sexually assaulted him “dozens of times” when he was underage.

The now-20-year-old claims Harte groomed him into a “sexual plaything that could be passed around his friends in the business,” including ex-APA agent Tyler Grasham and manager-producer Nils Larsen. He alleges Grasham made sexually aggressive comments toward him and licked his toes, and accuses Larsen of grabbing his penis over his pants at a concert in 2016.

Geragos & Geragos attorney Ben Meiselas called Ricky’s ex-manager “the ringleader” of this alleged abuse circle, writing in the complaint:

“Defendant Harte, the ringleader, employed the well-worn pedophile playbook of grooming and seduction. He targeted an economically and emotionally vulnerable pre-teen and his parents. He then groomed and seduced the child’s mother to have her lay down her defenses and give him unfettered access to her son, making her an unwitting accomplice to his depravity.”

Ricky claims in the complaint he didn’t tell anyone about the alleged abuse until March 2018 because he was afraid of the potential career fallout. He reportedly first told Harte’s former assistant, who told the singer’s mother.

Per the complaint, Harte tried to brush off the alleged incidents as “horseplay.”

Larsen has also denied Ricky’s claims. His attorney said in a statement to THR:

“My client Nils Larsen categorically disputes the claim. He intends to sue the attorneys for malicious prosecution after he prevails in this action.”

Grasham has not responded to the allegations, but this isn’t the first time he’s been caught in a #MeToo scandal. As we reported, Finn Wolfhard’s former agent was fired from APA in October 2017 amid sexual harassment and assault allegations.

The boy-bander is suing Harte, Grasham, Larsen, Hot Rock Media, Cohen/Thomas Management, and APA. He alleges the companies enabled the alleged abuse by “fostering a sexually abusive culture in their offices” and failed to prevent the alleged misconduct despite knowing it had happened to others before.

[Image via WENN]