Following yesterday’s revelation of a marked pattern of sexual misconduct by musician Ryan Adams, today The New York Times further reported that the investigation into Adams’ behavior is going much further and will now involve the FBI.
In a piece by the Times, reported by Joe Coscarelli and fellow Times reporter Melena Ryzik, one of the several allegations made against Adams was for sexting with a young musician and fan who was 14 when they first began corresponding in 2013. “Ava” says that the exchanges quickly turned graphic in nature, and that Adams makes numerous references to his knowledge that she was underage.
In the initial piece, the Times reported they reviewed 3,217 text messages exchanged over nine months between the pair, when “Ava” (name obscured due to her status as a minor at the time) was 15 and 16. Today, the Times reports that the FBI has launched an investigation into whether or not Adams committed a crime by sexting with an individual he knew to be a minor at the time.
Adams, through a statement made by his lawyer, has denied knowledge that Ava was underage, telling the times “if, in fact, this woman was underage, Mr. Adams was unaware.” Adams and Ava never met in person. According to the Times, agents from the Crimes Against Children Squad, will “seek to interview the woman… and try to obtain the text messages and any other evidence she may have in her possession.”
After the initial Times report, Adams did issue an apology on Twitter saying: “To anyone I have ever hurt, however unintentionally, I apologize deeply and unreservedly,” but also called some of the allegations “outright false.”
