More information has been revealed in the revenge porn case filed by former Megadeth bassist David Ellefson.
According to a report from the Scottsdale Police Department obtained by Rolling Stone, Ellefson had been sexting with a teenage Dutch fan who had taken video of their interactions without his consent and shared them with a friend. The report confirmed that the girl was 19 and was never a minor during their interactions.
To confirm his story, Ellefson subjected himself to a polygraph test, as well as provided the police with a copy of the girl’s driver’s license and screenshots of Snapchat and Whatsapp messages between the two about the allegations.
Charges are being pursued against the person who leaked the video and not the girl he was interacting with.
According to the police report, Ellefson first met the fan during an autograph signing at a gig in Holland in 2019. The two maintained a friendship through social media since then. Since then, the two were only in the same room one other time, meeting up for coffee and soda in February 2020 at a hotel in the Netherlands. The two were not intimate then.
Their interactions became sexual over social media a few months later when they began masturbating in front of each other using Facebook Messenger.
According to Ellefson’s statement, he told the band’s management about the guy who leaked the video and called him a pedophile. He was informed that this guy had also been harassing other band members and to “sit tight” and that the band’s team of lawyers would investigate it.
Rumors regarding Ellefson’s activities started circulating in May when graphic texts with someone other than his wife and a video of the bassist pleasuring himself surfaced online. Accusations that he was grooming a minor quickly escalated and on May 10, he posted a statement to his Instagram denying the allegations. “As you may or not know, some private and personal conversations and interactions have surfaced online, released with ill intention by a third party who was not authorized to have them or share them. While certainly embarrassing, I want to address it as openly and honestly as possible. As much as it’s not something I’m proud of, these were private, adult interactions that were taken out of context and manipulated to inflict maximum damage to my reputation my career, and family.” He also shared a post from the girl, who admitted to instigating the affair and taking the videos without his consent.
On May 24, the band made a statement on their social media accounts saying that Ellefson was no longer a member of the band. “While we do not know every detail of what occurred, with an already strained relationship, what has already been revealed now is enough to make working together impossible moving forward.”
Ellefson responded two days later, telling Rolling Stone, “Recently, a very private video was illegally posted on the internet and false allegations were made against me. The actions in the video were between two consenting adults and were recorded without my knowledge. I am working with Scottsdale Police Department in their investigation into charges regarding revenge pornography to be filed against the person who posted this video. Also, my lawyers are preparing a defamation lawsuit to be filed against this person. This person will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. I am taking this time to be with my family. I wish my bandmates the best with their upcoming tour.
Megadeth continues to soldier on without Ellefson. The band will begin a tour with Lamb Of God, Trivium and In Flames on August 20. A replacement bassist has not been announced yet.
