NEWSRapper T.I. & Wife 'Tiny' Harris Accused Of Sexual Abuse By Multiple Women, Lawyer Seeks Criminal Investigation
Mar. 1 2021, Published 2:41 p.m. ET
Rapper Clifford “T.I.” Harris and his wife, Tameka “Tiny” Harris, have found themselves in hot water after dozens of women have come forward with allegations of sexual abuse.
According to a press release from New York-based T.A. Blackburn Law, more than 30 women have contacted him and have accused the couple and their associates of “forced drugging, kidnapping, rape, and intimidation” in at least two states including California and Georgia.
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According to the New York Times, attorney Tyrone A. Blackburn is representing 11 of the accusers and has asked authorities to launch an official criminal investigation.
“These criminal allegations span over fifteen years of methodical, sadistic abuse against women in various venues throughout the country,” the release reads. “These individual claims paint eerily consistent allegations of women prior to or upon immediately entering T&T’s home, hotel, or tour bus were coerced by Tiny to ingest drugs or unknowingly administered drugs to impair the victims’ ability to consent to subsequent vile sexual acts.”
Most of Blackburn's clients were referred to anonymously in the letters because he alleged they were “in fear for their lives and safety,” citing the 40-year-old hip-hop artist's powerful reputation and past of federal weapons charges.
The couple’s attorney, Steve Sadow, denied the accusations in a statement calling it a “sordid shakedown.”
“Clifford (T.I.) and Tameka Harris deny in the strongest possible terms these unsubstantiated and baseless allegations. We are confident that if these claims are thoroughly and fairly investigated, no charges will be forthcoming,” the statement reads. “These allegations are nothing more than the continuation of a sordid shakedown campaign that began on social media. The Harrises implore everyone not to be taken in by these obvious attempts to manipulate the press and misuse the justice system.”
SPIN reports that the allegations first arose last month, when the couple’s former employee Sabrina Peterson claimed on Instagram that the rapper once held her at gunpoint and shared accounts from more than two dozen women who described being pressured to take drugs, strip and engage in sexual acts with T.I. and Tiny, or others, present.
The Harrises’ spokesperson issued a statement on January 29, denying all accusations. “Mr. and Mrs. Harris want to be on record and more importantly want the public to know they emphatically deny in the strongest way possible the egregiously appalling allegations being made against them by Sabrina Peterson,” it reads. “The Harrises have had difficulty with this woman for well over a decade. They are taking this matter very seriously, and if these allegations don’t end, they will take appropriate legal action.”
Earlier this month, production on the the couple's VH1 reality series T.I. And Tiny: Friends And Family Hustle was suspended in the wake of the allegations.
In 2001, the "Whatever You Like" rapper began a relationship with the now 45-year-old Xscape member and married on July 30, 2010, in Miami Beach. Together, they have two sons and one daughter. In addition, T.I. has two sons and a daughter from a previous relationship, and Tiny has an older daughter from a previous relationship of her own.
