Former Teen Pop Singer Melissa Schuman Files Police Report After Accusing Nick Carter Of Rape
Melissa Schuman, the pop singer and former member of girl group Dream, has filed a police report against Nick Carter, accusing him of rape.
Filing An Official Complaint
The Santa Monica Police Department confirmed that a complaint had been filed against Carter this past Wednesday. They also confirmed that the complaint referred to an incident that occurred in 2003. Law enforcement did not confirm Schuman's identity, but she tweeted to let fans know it was true.
I’m finally doing what I thought I could no longer do. Im filing a police report #timesup #bebrave #bethechange #metoo thank you @RAINN for empowering me to take this step.
— MelissaSchuman (@MelissaSchuman) February 7, 2018
Back in November of last year, the 33-year-old singer wrote a tell-all blog where she alleged Carter of raping her in the early 2000s. Schuman was just 18 and a virgin due to her religious faith at the time. She claimed that she revealed this intimate detail to Carter who was then 22 and at the height of his Backstreet Boys fame.
"I am shocked and saddened by Ms. Schuman's accusations. Melissa never expressed to me while we were together or at any time since that anything we did was not consensual," Carter said in a statement at the time.
As is typical in these kinds of cases, Carter also called into question how much time had passed since the alleged incident occurred. For her part, Schuman responded with her a statement referring to the growing #MeToo and Time's Up movements, both of which gave survivors of sexual assault the opportunity to come forward with their stories.
"I was empowered to share my story because of the brave women who shared their stories before me. My hope is that my experience further highlights the urgent need for open dialogue and education about consent and sexual assault," she said.
Taking It Too Far
Schuman alleges that Carter forced her to go further sexually than she wanted to, initially unbuttoning her pants against her wishes while they were kissing in the bathroom of his house. He performed oral sex on her against her will, then demanded the same in return. Carter then led Schuman to his bedroom where, she alleges, he raped her.
The ex-Dream singer revealed on a Dr. Oz episode back in December that she hadn't come forward with the charges sooner because her manager at the time warned her against going up against the Backstreet Boys legal machine.
Schuman was a member of the popular 2000s girl group Dream. She recorded a duet with Carter in 2004, something he's using to discredit her allegations against him. Schuman walked away from her singing aspirations afterward and has since carved out a career as an actress, appearing in several movies in the intervening years.
