Freddie Gibbs Charged in Austria With Sexual Assault
In June, Freddie Gibbs was arrested in France on charges stemming from an alleged rape in Austria in 2015. Gibbs was granted bail several weeks later while continuing to claim innocence. On June 23, Gibbs was ordered to be extradited to Austria. Yesterday, Austrian authorities formally charged Gibbs with sexual assault, Reuters reports, citing a Vienna criminal court spokesperson. The charge against Gibbs is “sexual abuse of a defenseless or psychologically impaired person,” the spokesperson said, with a maximum prison sentence of 10 years if Gibbs is found guilty. Referring to drugs used to spike someone’s drink, the spokesperson elaborated, “He is alleged to have administered knock-out drops to a woman and then have abused her sexually while she was in a defenseless state.”
In a statement to Pitchfork, one of Gibbs’ lawyers, Theodore Simon, maintained the rapper’s innocence and said the court has not yet heard the evidence in his defense. Read the full statement below:
While Freddie Gibbs was charged with an offense today, it remains only an allegation, and it does not in any way change the actual facts that Freddie Gibbs is 100% innocent.
He continues to pursue every available means to demonstrate that he is absolutely innocent and that he has been both belatedly and wrongly accused. As the investigation and process continues, Mr. Gibbs remains hopeful that a thorough, searching and complete investigation will reveal the actual facts, including the absence of any scientific, physical, or credible evidence implicating him, thereby paving the way for his exoneration and return to his family and one-year old child. In accordance with Austrian procedure Mr. Gibbs has not as yet had the opportunity to provide the authorities and the Court with the substantial and compelling exonerating evidence that he has compiled.
Consistent with the available legal practices and procedures in Austria, Mr. Gibbs will ask the Court to release him on bail, under reasonable terms and conditions, as was done in France.
Through counsel Mr. Freddie Gibbs has consistently remained fully cooperative with law enforcement offices and judicial systems in both France and Austria and will continue to do so.
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