Copperfield’s Lawyer: Illusionist A Victim Of Smear Campaign

David Copperfield may have been a victim of an extortion plot. This is according to a defense lawyer for the magician.

Yesterday, TMZ.com posted documents, which they report were allegedly distributed to Copperfield’s assistants, revealing tactics he may have used to lure beautiful women backstage.

The document, entitled “Show Participation,” was allegedly given to assistants combing the crowd, to find women for Copperfield.

“These documents are not as they are being characterized,” a statement from Copperfield’s attorney David Chesnoff, released to Access Hollywood, read. “Recently Mr. Copperfield was the victim of an unsuccessful extortion attempt by a disgruntled former employee. We believe these documents are a smear campaign, which is a product of that unsuccessful shake down effort.”

This same statement was released to TMZ, which then posted an updated story.

The TMZ report suggested the documents were a part of detailed plans to help lure a woman whom Copperfield allegedly referred to as a “scorpion.”

The document appeared to prepare assistants for the possibility of the “scorpion” having a boyfriend or husband, stating, “from time to time, boyfriends and husbands will give us a hard time and refuse to stay. If that is the case, try your best to get them to stay and refer to the ‘What to Say’ sheet for help.”

Chesnoff said that the real meaning of the documents has to do with Copperfield’s magician secrets.

“Meetings with the audience, and secrecy of technique are extremely important for an illusionist of Mr. Copperfield’s stature. The procedures his organization followed were designed to ensure that the people brought up on stage were advised of the importance of secrecy while enhancing goodwill, “Chesnoff’s statement read.

And as for backstage invites? Chesnoff said those had nothing to do with meeting ladies.

“The backstage meet and greets with David and his staff allowed his organization to maintain contact with audience participants, to re-invite them and their families to future shows, to advise them of potential promotions that would be right for them, and to thank them for their participation,” Chesnoff’s statement read. “The distorted and twisted claim that these meet and greets were designed as a dating service for Mr. Copperfield is ridiculous. In fact, thousands of audience participants were greeted in this fashion.”

David Copperfield is under investigation by a federal grand jury, regarding accusations from a female audience member who claims the magician raped her after she flew to his private home in the Bahamas.

“As we have previously stated, Mr. Copperfield has never forced himself on anyone and has a spotless record and reputation,” Chesnoff also said in the statement.

Meanwhile in related news, Copperfield is being sued by foreign promoters for nearly $5 million. They claim he cancelled his Asian tour once word got out he was under investigation by the FBI, according to paperwork obtained by Access.

When contacted by Access Hollywood about the lawsuit, reps for Copperfield issued a statement, blaming the cancellation on the promoters themselves.

“David Copperfield canceled his overseas tour because promoters did not honor their contractual commitments, including failing to make a contractual payment of more than $1 million and canceling a segment of the tour without Mr. Copperfield’s consent,” the statement released by Copperfield’s reps read. “The cancellations had nothing to do with a federal investigation into allegations by an unidentified woman.

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