Actor Gary Busey Charged with Sex Crimes at New Jersey’s ‘Monster-Mania Con’

Actor Gary Busey attended Monster-Mania Con in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, earlier this month and appears to have taken the “monster” theme too far.

Busey, 78, was charged on Friday with four counts of criminal sexual contact and harassment stemming from the horror film convention, local police announced Saturday. The incidents, which police did not describe in any detail, allegedly occurred at the Doubletree Hotel, which was hosting the annual event.

Busey is a prolific, celebrated actor best known for his roles in Point Break, Lethal Weapon and Rookie of the Year. He also played Uncle Red in the 1985 film adaptation of Stephen King’s werewolf story Silver Bullet and was nominated for the Best Actor Oscar for his portrayal of Buddy Holly in The Buddy Holly Story.

This isn’t the first accusation of sexual misconduct against the actor: In 2017, the Daily Beast reported that Busey allegedly groped a staffer during his time on Celebrity Apprentice in 2011:

Oscar nominee Gary Busey allegedly sexually assaulted a female Apprentice employee during his time on the show, five Apprentice employees tell The Daily Beast. Donald Trump knew about the incident, laughed it off, and kept Busey on his TV series, these staffers said.

The details of the allegation are pretty sickening. The accuser told the Daily Beast: “We were smoking cigarettes outside, and Busey was standing next to me. And then at one point, he grabbed me firmly between my legs, and ran his hand up my stomach, and grabbed my breasts,” she continued. “I didn’t know what to do. So I made this joke that, ‘Oh, I’ve never been sexually harassed by a celebrity before!’ Then he grabbed my hand and put it [over] his penis, and said, like, ‘I’m just getting started, baby.’”

Busey was a featured guest Monster-Mania Con this year, according to the announcement on Convention Scene: “We are VERY excited to welcome GARY BUSEY back to MONSTER-MANIA CON after a very long absence! GARY BUSEY will be attending MONSTER-MANIA CON 50 which will be held the weekend of AUGUST 12-14 in CHERRY HILL, NJ!”

The actor has not yet publicly responded to the sexual misconduct charges. We will update this story if any further details become public.