Melissa Schuman, former member of the Diddy-managed teen-pop group Dream, has accused Backstreet Boys' Nick Carter of raping her in 2002. In a lengthy, detailed blog post, the singer, who was 18 at the time of the alleged assault, writes that Carter, then 22, performed oral sex on her without consent, then led her into a bedroom and raped her.
The incident reportedly happened at Carter's Santa Monica apartment, where the singer was hosting a small get-together. After luring her into the bathroom, Carter insisted she perform oral sex on him, which she refused to do. He was angered by the rejection, telling her, "I did it for you, and it's only right you do it for me." Schuman was a virgin when the assault occurred, and repeatedly told Carter she was "saving herself" for marriage, to which he replied, "I could be your husband." After exiting the bathroom, Carter forced her into his bedroom, where she felt "scared and trapped," before raping her.
The Dream member said Carter was relentless in his attempts to reach out to her following the assault. He allegedly left voicemails and clogged Schuman's phone line. "Then he finally left me one last nasty, angry message," Schuman writes, "and he never called me again."
Schuman decided to come forward after reading a post on RadarOnline in which an anonymous woman accused Nick Carter of sexual assault. After reading the negative responses lodged at the unnamed accuser, and seeing the validity of her story questioned, Schuman, like many other brave women, decided to tell her own story. At the time of the assault, Schuman decided not to press charges, worrying it would negatively affect her career. Schuman's accusations come at a time when women across industries have emboldened one another to speak openly about the trauma they've endured at the hands of powerful men.
Carter responded to the allegations in a statement to Rolling Stone:
"Melissa never expressed to me while we were together or at any time since that anything we did was not consensual. We went on to record a song and perform together, and I was always respectful and supportive of Melissa both personally and professionally. This is the first that I am hearing about these accusations, nearly two decades later. It is contrary to my nature and everything I hold dear to intentionally cause someone discomfort or harm."
You can read Schuman's full account here.
