Prison Break star Robert Knepper has been accused of sexual assault by the veteran costume designer Susan Bertram, who claims the alleged incident took place in 1991.
Bertram said, according to The Hollywood Reporter, she was spurred to come forward last year when the Access Hollywood tape of President Donald Trump emerged in which he described “grabbing [women] by the p**sy.”
“I kind of buried it for a long time until Trump came out with his ‘Grab ’em by the pussy’ thing. When that happened, I started reeling,” she says, “People think that’s a joke, but that really happened to me.”
The incident allegedly took place in 1991 while she was working on the set of the Allison Anders drama Gas Food Lodging.
Actor Robert Knepper attends the Fox Action Showcase: “Prison Break” And “24: Legacy” during Comic-Con International 2016 at San Diego Convention Center on July 24, 2016 in San Diego, California. (Kevin Winter/Getty Images)
Bertram claimed that while delivering some clothes to Knepper, the actor “jumped up” and grabbed her crotch “as hard as he could” before shoving her up against the wall.
“I’m going to fuck your brains out,” Knepper reportedly said, at which point Bertram managed to escape.
“I flew out of that trailer as fast as I could. I just kind of fell out the door, and landed in the dirt on my knees,” she said. “I just sat there and cried for a while. My dress was torn, I was dirty. I just sat there and got myself together and went back to the wardrobe trailer.”
Actors Rockmond Dunbar (L) and Robert Knepper of the television show ‘Prisonbreak’ speak onstage during the FOX portion of the 2017 Winter Television Critics Association Press Tour at Langham Hotel on January 11, 2017 in Pasadena, California. (Frederick M. Brown/Getty Images)
This account of events was then corroborated by her colleague Dominique DuBois.
“I remember Susan came in and she was visibly shaking,” she said. “She told me [Knepper] had forced himself on her. She was very upset, very shaken. I do remember that.”
Knepper, who is best known for playing the role of psychopath ‘T-Bag’ in the recently rebooted series Prison Break, has yet to comment on the allegations.
The claim is the latest of a string of allegations against figures across the film industry, following the emergence of dozens of sexual abuse complaints against movie producer Harvey Weinstein. Other actors implicated in the scandal include Kevin Spacey, Ben Affleck, and Dustin Hoffman.
Follow Ben Kew on Facebook, Twitter at @ben_kew, or email him at bkew@breitbart.com.
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