“I know where you live,” he allegedly wrote. “I know where you work. Don’t think — Hospital would be happy to know that it’s young nurses are having sexual for money / Same for your landlord.”
Fabrizio allegedly used those threats to coerce her into having sex again, according to the affidavit. The police allege that he then sent additional texts threatening to tell her parents if she did not continue to have sex with him a couple times a month. The woman called the police. After arranging for another meeting, Fabrizio was arrested outside the woman’s apartment on Friday morning, according to the document.
Variety also includes a background quote from an anonymous MPAA spokesperson who told the outlet of the charges against its own lawyer Fabrizio that “if true, are both shocking and intolerable to the association. We had no prior knowledge of this behavior before these charges were publicly filed.”
Fabrizio’s deep connections in Washington, D.C., especially to top Democrats around town, are only beginning to become clear publicly. He first took the job at the MPAA in 2013 as its in-house chief counsel after serving as its outside counsel for some time.
Trump allies in Washington quickly shared the news that a top leftist Hollywood ally had fallen in D.C.:
Whoa. These are the people that spend their days and nights criticizing President Trump.
Exclusive — MPAA Executive, Hollywood’s Man in Washington, Arrested for Alleged ‘Rape and Blackmail’ https://t.co/kgQld9I9uf
— Arthur Schwartz (@ArthurSchwartz) August 27, 2019
BREAKING: A top executive at the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA), a top trade association representing heavy hitters and power players from Hollywood in Washington, D.C., has been arrested for alleged “rape and blackmail”https://t.co/3GTqEmSeLx
— Ryan Saavedra (@RealSaavedra) August 27, 2019
MPAA Executive Arrested for Alleged ‘Rape and Blackmail’ https://t.co/VpModqHH5Q
— Jack Posobiec 🇺🇸 (@JackPosobiec) August 27, 2019
Donald Trump, Jr., President Trump’s eldest son, also shared the news, commenting that Hollywood and the leaders of “the Resistance” against his father are “truly sick”:
These people are the leaders of “The Resistance”. Truly sick. Maybe Hollywood should STFU and start resisting themselves.
MPAA Executive Arrested for Alleged ‘Rape and Blackmail’ https://t.co/gcQZizU2zc
— Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) August 27, 2019
In a Hollywood Reporter story about his hiring, Dodd–the top Democrat former senator who was then running the MPAA–said he thought the world of Fabrizio.
“Steve has been one of the entertainment industry’s most effective advocates for years, and has the perfect blend of knowledge, skill, and experience to lead the MPAA’s already talented legal team,” Dodd said. “As the MPAA’s new Global General Counsel, he will continue to protect the rights of our industry’s creators and makers so they can do what they do best: tell stories that entertain audiences across the globe.”
Fabrizio later, in early 2014, sat for a major interview with the Hollywood Reporter in which he explained his plans for the industry to pursue in Washington, D.C. He laid out various litigation he already been involved in, and major policy fights ahead that Hollywood envisioned.
Fabrizio was very highly-paid, according to IRS 990 forms that the MPAA filed. Politico Influence reported on his salary–which was into seven figures at $1.1 million annually–back in late 2017, according to a report based on 2016 IRS 990 documents from the MPAA.
The organization in 2016, per these documents according to Politico raised $57.8 million and spent $66.7 million. Its highest paid staffers that year were Dodd, who made $3.4 million, and Fabrizio who made $1.1 million. Next up was MPAA’s COO Diane Strahan who made $1 million in 2016.
Comments are closed.