'escort service' probe
An investigation has been launched into allegations that cheerleaders at Coastal Carolina University in South Carolina were involved in what's described as an "escort service," the Sun News reported Thursday. The entire cheerleading team has been suspended pending the completion of an investigation.
The Sun News reported several cheerleaders were allegedly paid between $100 and $1,500 on escort-type dates booked through a website, according to a criminal investigation report the Sun News obtained from the university through a Freedom of Information Act public-records request. The investigation report alleged some cheerleaders were also given gifts -- such as Michael Kors purses, shoes and clothing -- but that none engaged in sexual favors.
The cheerleaders ran the operation through the website seekingarrangement.com, according to the report.
Text messages between cheerleaders advised team members working at the strip clubs, including Thee DollHouse, to quit their jobs until after a national cheerleading competition taking place in Dayton Beach, Fla., according to the report.
Amy Lawrence, an attorney who is representing five of the cheerleaders, called the suspension “unprecedented” Thursday morning.
“I am shocked and saddened to see these girls become victims of these baseless claims from an anonymous source,” Lawrence said in a news release. “Even more disheartening is that these girls were not permitted due process in their own defense to show just how outlandish and ridiculous these allegations truly are.”
The investigation found that 11 cheerleaders were aware of the escort service and seven were not aware, CCU reported.
On March 13, CCU officials including President David DeCenzo, university counsel Timothy Meacham and cheer coaches Marla Sage and Kelly Moore, met to discuss a letter mailed anonymously to DeCenzo’s office that sparked the investigation.
The letter alleged the cheerleaders were engaged in prostitution, stripping, drinking and forcing younger cheerleaders to partake in underage drinking. They were not “accepted” into the team unless they took part, according to the letter.
Investigators were able to get a picture of the person who sent the letter and signed it “a concerned parent.”
The man was white, heavy-set and had “salt and pepper-colored hair.”
His identity has not yet been determined.
According to the anonymous letter, “several girls” have quit the team “due to these disgusting issues.”
Coastal Carolina University offers evidence for cheeerleader suspension | The Sun News
An investigation has been launched into allegations that cheerleaders at Coastal Carolina University in South Carolina were involved in what's described as an "escort service," the Sun News reported Thursday. The entire cheerleading team has been suspended pending the completion of an investigation.
The Sun News reported several cheerleaders were allegedly paid between $100 and $1,500 on escort-type dates booked through a website, according to a criminal investigation report the Sun News obtained from the university through a Freedom of Information Act public-records request. The investigation report alleged some cheerleaders were also given gifts -- such as Michael Kors purses, shoes and clothing -- but that none engaged in sexual favors.
The cheerleaders ran the operation through the website seekingarrangement.com, according to the report.
Text messages between cheerleaders advised team members working at the strip clubs, including Thee DollHouse, to quit their jobs until after a national cheerleading competition taking place in Dayton Beach, Fla., according to the report.
Amy Lawrence, an attorney who is representing five of the cheerleaders, called the suspension “unprecedented” Thursday morning.
“I am shocked and saddened to see these girls become victims of these baseless claims from an anonymous source,” Lawrence said in a news release. “Even more disheartening is that these girls were not permitted due process in their own defense to show just how outlandish and ridiculous these allegations truly are.”
The investigation found that 11 cheerleaders were aware of the escort service and seven were not aware, CCU reported.
On March 13, CCU officials including President David DeCenzo, university counsel Timothy Meacham and cheer coaches Marla Sage and Kelly Moore, met to discuss a letter mailed anonymously to DeCenzo’s office that sparked the investigation.
The letter alleged the cheerleaders were engaged in prostitution, stripping, drinking and forcing younger cheerleaders to partake in underage drinking. They were not “accepted” into the team unless they took part, according to the letter.
Investigators were able to get a picture of the person who sent the letter and signed it “a concerned parent.”
The man was white, heavy-set and had “salt and pepper-colored hair.”
His identity has not yet been determined.
According to the anonymous letter, “several girls” have quit the team “due to these disgusting issues.”
Coastal Carolina University offers evidence for cheeerleader suspension | The Sun News