Gary Busey pleaded guilty Thursday to criminal sexual assault, admitting in court that he deliberately groped a woman in New Jersey in 2022.
“It was not an accidental touching,” the 80-year-old actor told a judge during a virtual hearing, according to The Guardian. Prosecutors dropped three additional counts of criminal sexual contact and one count of attempted criminal sexual contact as part of the plea deal. Busey, who appeared to have difficulty hearing, was guided through the proceedings by his attorney, Blair Zwillman.
NEW YORK, NY – OCTOBER 25: Gary Busey attends The Weinstein Company With The Cinema Society And Tumi Host A Screening Of “This Must Be the Place” at Tribeca Grand Hotel on October 25, 2012 in New York City. (Photo by Dave Kotinsky/Getty Images)
The charges stemmed from accusations that the 81-year-old actor groped five women while taking pictures with them at the Monster-Mania convention at a Double Tree Hilton hotel in New Jersey, in August 2022.
Authorities alleged Busey grabbed the buttocks of two women and put his face near a third woman’s breasts while attempting to unlatch her bra, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer.
Judge Gwendolyn Blue repeated her questions several times to ensure Busey had sought legal advice and was aware of the consequences of his guilty plea. The actor had previously denied the allegations. Busey reportedly faces fines, one to five years of probation, and must submit DNA samples to authorities, according to The Guardian.
Actor Gary Busey arrives at the premiere of “Crazy Heart” in Beverly Hills, California on December 8, 2009. AFP PHOTO / GABRIEL BOUYS (Photo credit should read GABRIEL BOUYS/AFP via Getty Images)
Judge Blue tentatively set a virtual sentencing hearing for him on 18 September.
This is not Busey’s first run-in with the law. The Oscar-nominated actor faced drug charges in 1995 after suffering a near deadly cocaine overdose. He was also arrested on charges of spousal abuse and was accused of sexually assaulting a female employee during his time on the 2011 season of “Celebrity Apprentice.”
