Michael F. Egan & lawyer Jerry Herman

Bryan Singer has had one hell of a year – with highs including scoring his biggest hit ever with X-Men: Days Of Future Past, but also gargantuan lows which involved being accused of forced rape and underage sex, with the main accuser being a man called Michael Egan, who said the events took place in the late 1990s when he was a 17 and living in LA.

In the months after the accusations against Singer and three other men were very publicly revealed – complete with press conferences and suggestions this was just the beginning of massive takedown of Hollywood pederasts – the whole thing collapsed, largely because of huge contradictions and problems with Egan’s testimony, where it became clear he probably wasn’t telling the truth. He’s currently facing lawsuits from some of those he accused alleging malicious prosecution.

Now Egan has even bigger problems as The Charlotte Observer reports (via Towleroad), that he’s being indicted on investment fraud charges in what appears to be a five-year long Ponzi Scheme that he ran.

The Observer reports: ‘In the indictment handed down in Charlotte this week, Egan is accused of a five-year financial scheme in which he attracted investors by lying about his assets – Egan claimed he owned percentages of well-known hotels and casinos in Las Vegas, among other claims – and his connections to banking executives and investment moguls.

‘He promised customers returns from investments in Halloween-theme attractions, television shows and land development. Instead, Egan used the capital to pay rent, buy groceries, underwrite medical bills and restaurant tabs, and take care of his pets, prosecutors say.

‘Egan hid his activity, investigators say, by creating account statements to reflect fraudulent balances.

‘The indictment charges him with securities fraud and wire fraud. He is to appear before U.S. Magistrate Judge David Cayer on Jan. 13.’

If convicted he could face up to 40 years in prison and a fine of $5.25 million if convicted.

While it’s easy to see Egan purely as a liar and villain in all this, it should be remembered that it appears he really was subjected to sexual abuse as a teenager at the hands of men who were convicted of child sex offences around a decade ago (however, the specifics of his recent accusations have been somewhat discredited, and there’s no proof Singer was involved). Of course it’s impossible to say how much this effected him and whether if helped lead to what appears to be a pattern of increasingly risky criminal behaviour (assuming he did it, of course).

For a case that was launched with such a blaze of publicity – including very public press conferences and declarations that it was just the beginning of an effort to end a perceived Hollywood problem with underage sex – it has fizzled out pretty quickly.

In April Michael F. Egan and his then lawyer Jerry Herman filed a case against Bryan Singer in Hawaii, alleging rape and various types of sex abuse when Egan was underage back in 1999. This was followed by three further suits against other Hollywood execs and producers.

Within days those other three cases started to fall apart and were eventually dropped, and then things unravelled further last week, when Herman announced that he was attempting to withdraw as Egan’s lawyer. This came admist rumours that their relationship had completely broken down, apparently after Egan refused to settle the Singer suit for a token sum.

Now it seems Egan is seeking to drop his case against Singer too. Although the motion itself was sealed, but THR reports it is titled, ‘Plaintiff’s Opposition to Motion to Withdraw as Counsel; Request for Court Order of Dismissal, Without Prejudice or an Award of Costs or Fees, in the Interest of Justice — filed by Michael F. Egan, III (pro se)’.

The motion is therefore trying to stop Herman dropping Egan as a client, and also to allow him to withdraw his case against Singer without prejudice (meaning he could potentially refile it, assuming he can overcome statute of limitation issues). Singer meanwhile has already filed a motion to have the case thrown out with prejudice, preventing Egan from ever filing another case based around these allegations. That is due to be heard early next month.

The latest reports, again via THR, say the court has now allowed Herman to withdraw as Egan’s lawyer, but has deferred a decision on whether to allow Egan to withdraw the suit against Singer without prejudice. That part of the motion will be heard on September 9th, at the same time as the X-Men director’s attempt to have it thrown out with prejudice. The THR report also suggests Egan has found new lawyers, but they are not yet representing him in court.

To further complicate matters, there is also a case in motion that Egan and Herman filed in the California courts against four unnamed defendants, who are presumed to be the same four men named by Egan in the Hawaii cases. The presumption had been that case would also be withdrawn soon, however it’s possible Egan’s new lawyers have other plans. It would be extremely difficult to get it through the California courts due to statute of limitation issues, but it’s possible the new lawyers may use that suit, which is currently is stasis, to extract settlements in order to remove the cloud of uncertainty hanging over the accused men.

Back in April lawyer Jeff Herman announced that he was determined to confront a underage sex abuse problem in Hollywood he believes exists, starting with a lawsuit against Bryan Singer on behalf of a man called Michael F. Egan, who claimed the X-Men director abused him as a teenager.

Herman sounded like a man on a mission – indeed many suggested that perhaps Herman was so convinced there was a major problem in Hollywood with people abusing teens, that he hadn’t spent enough time considering the merits of his actual case.

Now things have changed dramatically. Three of the four defendants named in suits related to Singer’s in Hawaii have been withdrawn, and Singer himself has been dropped from another suit Herman helped launch on behalf of another man.

Today it’s been revealed that Herman has dropped Egan as a client completely and will no longer represent him in the case against Singer. He released a statement reading, “We are in the process of withdrawing from representing Mr. Egan in all his cases and have no further comment concerning his matters at this time. We cannot comment on any actual or purported documents that may or may not be or reflect privileged or confidential communications. We decline to speak about any other clients we may or may not have represented.”

The news follows reports that Herman attempted to settle the case for a relatively small amount, but that Egan refused to sign, even though it was becoming increasingly clear there was little chance of them winning, and that any settlement money Singer agreed to pay would simply be to get rid of the case.

The director’s lawyer states to THR, “As Mr. Egan and his now ex-lawyers know, a legitimate claim in this type of case can run into the millions of dollars, so their willingness to resolve it for such a relatively low figure demonstrates their total lack of confidence in their chances for success. This was their way of trying to save face after an unsuccessful attempted shakedown of Bryan Singer. Let us be clear, this in no way changes the fact that Bryan Singer is innocent of these unsubstantiated lies.”

Technically Egan’s lawsuit against Singer and a newer suit he launched against former Disney TV president David Neuman are still in motion, but without a lawyer it’s unclear whether Egan will be able to progress them. There is also now a lawsuit against Egan, Herman and attorney Michael Gallagher for malicious prosecution and abuse of process, filed by producer Garth Ancier, who was one of the other men named in the initial sex abuse suits. That will presumably still go ahead whether Herman has dropped Egan or not.

Bryan Singer will probably be breathing a little easier today, as the charges in one of the two sex abuse lawsuits he’s facing have been dropped. His accuser dropped the suit and the charges have now been ‘dismissed with prejudice’ by the courts (meaning no other case can be filed against Singer based around these accusations)), according to THR.

The suit revolved around writer/producer Gary Goddard’s interactions with an anonymous young British man. Goddard is said to have first got to know the accuser via social media in 2003 when he was 14. Singer was brought into the suit as it’s alleged that thanks to Goddard, he ‘had sex with the plaintiff at a Superman after afterparty in a London hotel room when the plaintiff was 17… The boy resisted, the suit continues, but Goddard brought in a “large, musclebound man” who smacked the teenager around, holding him while Singer grabbed him and Goddard, naked on the bed, watched. Singer then allegedly attempted to rape the plaintiff.’

The X-Men director always strenuously denied the claims, and also argued that it shouldn’t be heard in a US court anyway, as all the events alleged against him are said to have taken place in the UK. However the lawsuit says that ‘the California age of consent, 18, should apply because Singer and Goddard allegedly formulated their sexual plans regarding the teen while in California. In addition, the federal age, also 18, assertedly applies to travel from the U.S. for sexual purposes.’

Singer still faces another lawsuit brought by Michael Egan, who alleges Singer tried to rape him in Hawaii in the late 90s, amongst other underage sexual abuse accusation. However while Egan originally sued three other men – including Goddard – he has since dropped the suits against the others. The Singer suit remains, although many feel it has little chance of success.