NEW YORK — A California man was sentenced Monday to four years in prison for trying to win a $100 million lawsuit by filing false sex abuse claims against Hollywood executives.
Rovier Carrington, 34, of Los Angeles was sentenced in Manhattan federal court after pleading guilty to making a false statement in the 2018 civil case.
Judge Valerie E. Caproni's sentence was more than twice what prosecutors had sought. In a pre-sentence statement, they wrote that Carrington's fraud “could fuel the false perception that many such claims are fraudulent, deterring others from filing meritorious sexual assault claims.”
Carrington's civil case was dismissed by a judge after he failed to appear at a hearing when he was supposed to answer the judge's questions about the fraud. Still, prosecutors have said Carrington made similar allegations in a $1 billion lawsuit filed in a different court. This too was thrown away.
Carrington was arrested in California in September 2021 on perjury charges for fabricating emails to make it appear he had been sexually assaulted by two Hollywood executives who he claimed had prevented production of his reality television show.
He had claimed in the 2018 lawsuit that he was “related to Hollywood royalty” as the great-grandson of one of “The Three Stooges” actors and that he was a writer, actor and TV show producer who joined a 2010 reality TV had worked. programme: 'The life of a trendsetter'.
After defendants in the civil suit provided evidence that emails were fabricated, Carrington was ordered to pay $600,000 in attorneys' fees and costs.
The judge in the case said Carrington had taken steps, including disposing of an iPhone, to destroy evidence while the suspects tried to obtain as much information as possible about his allegations.
Prosecutors said the email chains Carrington submitted in support of his lawsuit were fake and that he was unable to produce original versions of any of the chains. They said the emails he offered also could not be found in email accounts of alleged recipients.
In a ruling, Carrington's lawyers detailed mental health issues Carrington has faced, writing that he was a “warm, thoughtful and kind” client who recognizes the mistakes he has made at a time when his life has gone from one disaster to the next. other went.
“He is remorseful and remorseful about his conduct and looks forward to putting this matter behind him and moving on to the next phase of his life,” they wrote, claiming that the more than seven months Carrington has already spent in prison spent was punishment enough.