New Text Messages Confirm Asia Argento Had Sex With 17-Year-Old, She Claims He Was On Top

TMZ has more details on the alleged sexual relationship between Asia Argento and then 17-year-old Jimmy Bennett, with a photo and text messages confirming that they had sex. In the text messages she openly admits to having sex with him, but claims he was the aggressor.

There were four photos taken by Bennett (who is now 22) in a Marina del Rey hotel room in 2013. Argento was 37 at the time. In one photo, they’re both topless as they lay in a bed together holding each other. The photo was allegedly taken right after the two had sex. In the state of California, the age of consent is eighteen so that means what Asia did was a crime. Bennett threatened her with legal action and in April she settled for $380,000, paid by her then-boyfriend Anthony Bourdain.

In a statement, she said: “I have never had any sexual relationship with Bennett.”

However, the text messages tell a different story. She spoke with her friend after the story broke in the New York Times an the two talked abut the backlash. You can see the texts here. Argento says at one point that Bennett wrote a note on Ritz-Carlton stationary, the hotel where the incident happened. He said: “Asia, I love you with all my heart. So glad we met again and I’m so glad your in my life. Jimmy.”

She added in the texts: “He wrote me this afterwards and kept sending me unsolicited nudes all these years up until 2 weeks before the attorneys letter. It wasn’t raped (sic) but I was frozen. He was on top of me. After, he told me I had been his sexual fantasy since was 12.”

Argento previously accused Harvey Weinstein of rape and is one of the first to come forward during the #MeToo movement. Weinstein’s lawyer Ben Brafman responded: “This development reveals a stunning level of hypocrisy by Asia Argento, one of the most vocal catalysts who sought to destroy Harvey Weinstein.”

The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department is looking into a possible criminal investigation.