Top banker’s son breaks down in court docket denying Bahamas resort groping
The cross-dressing theatre student son of a top US banker wept in court as he denied groping a female partygoer at an ultra-exclusive Bahamas resort.
Spencer Charrington, 19, insisted that he is gay and was merely complimenting Diana Lisovaya, 35, on her sparkly dress when he approached her during a glitzy ‘Moulin Rouge’ bash.
Lisovaya’s husband Philippe Gagnon, 55 – a black belt in Brazilian jiu-jitsu – went on trial Monday accused of ‘causing harm’ to Spencer by allegedly slapping and punching him.
Gagnon was arrested four days after the $1,000 per-head New Year’s Eve party at Albany Bahamas, which was founded by British billionaire Joe Lewis in 2010 with investment from Tiger Woods and Justin Timberlake.
Spencer’s dad Peter Charrington led Citibank’s private banking division before stepping down four years ago to become senior executive partner at Albany’s parent company.
Spencer Charrington, a theatre student and son of a top US banker was comforted by his mother Jennifer after he broke down in tears when Philippe Gagnon was acquitted of assaulting him
Gagnon, a black belt in jiu jitsu and his wife Diana Lisovaya left court in the Bahamas together after the case against him was dismissed by the judge
Charrington, 19, was arrested on suspicion of sexual assault after Diana Gagnon, 35, claimed he touched her hip area at a New Year’s Eve party but that cse was later abandoned
He and his wife Jennifer looked on from the public gallery at Nassau Magistrates Court as Spencer denied touching Diana in the hip area as she danced with friends.
‘I said your dress is pretty. It’s on theme for a Moulin Rouge party. I’m not sure if she heard me,’ said Spencer, who attends McDaniel College, a liberal arts college in Westminster, Maryland.
The teenager was arrested on suspicion of sexual assault in April but was released without charge pending further investigations.
‘I’m openly gay. I’m not attracted to women. I did not touch her at all,’ he insisted.
Spencer said Gagnon, a Canadian expat, confronted him moments after the interaction, slapping him in the face, hitting him in the stomach and pushing him to the floor.
‘Mr Gagnon told me, “You’re a fucking f****t” repeatedly. The head butler pulled Mr Gagnon off of me. After that he sat me down to a table. I was in fear for my life,’ the teen went on.
‘I had immense swelling to my left jaw and it hurt to eat. It hurt for a few weeks after. I had to take Tylenol and Aleve to curb the pain.’
Lisovaya may not have heard Charrington say that her dress she was wearing at the $1,000-a-head New Year’s Eve party, the teen admitted in court
Diana Lisovaya and her husband Phillipe Gagnon are pictured at the $1,000-a-ticket Moulin Rouge themed New Year’s Eve bash
Under cross-examination from Gagnon’s lawyer, Bjorn Ferguson, Spencer denied invading Diana’s personal space and ignoring repeated warnings from her martial artist husband.
‘Would you agree he could have done more to you than slap you?’ asked Ferguson.
Spencer’s dad Peter Charrington led Citibank’s private banking division before stepping down in 2020 to become senior executive partner at Albany’s parent company
‘He could have done a lot worse to me,’ agreed Spencer, who wore a patterned shirt and pants to court in stark contrast to the flowery dresses and blouses he typically wears in his social media posts.
Albany’s head butler Lavardo Bethel told the court he witnessed the alleged assault but appeared to confuse Spencer with his father when he recalled Gagnon hitting Peter Charrington in the face and stomach.
Magistrate Algernon Allen Jr halted proceedings moments later when Bethel’s testimony was interrupted by the sound of someone loudly clearing their throat in the public gallery.
‘The area that came from is Mr Charrington and his wife,’ protested Ferguson.
‘Your worship the witness must not be under any duress. His evidence should be voluntary. His employers are in this building and it appears he is under intense pressure to give particular testimony.’
The teen who is studying at a liberal arts college in Maryland was arrested but released without charges
Spencer’s social media pages reveal him to be a flamboyant dresser and a keen supporter of liberal causes including Black Lives Matter and the ACLU
Gagnoncould have done a lot worse to me,’ Charrington admitted in court
Peter Charrington, who spent 26 years working for Citibank, running their private banking arm in the UK, Greece and Israel before being named CEO for North America, apologized for the interruption.
It did little to assuage the magistrate’s anger and after a short adjournment for legal arguments the case against Gagnon was thrown out.
‘As a consequence of the allegations made and what the court has seen, it appears the witnesses may have been influenced while giving testimonies. That would be prejudicial to the defendant Philippe Robert Gagnon,’ the magistrate said.
‘As a consequence, Philippe Robert Gagnon is discharged. The prosecution can appeal my decision.’
Spencer burst into tears at the magistrate’s ruling and buried his head in mother’s arms. Neither he nor his family commented as they left court.
Dad-of-five Gagnon, whose $90,000-per-year Albany membership was suspended in the wake of the spat, told DailyMail.com: ‘Nobody is above the law. Bahamian justice has prevailed.’
He and his wife had refused to sign a proposed settlement from Albany’s lawyers which would have seen the two sides pay one another $100 in damages and agree not to speak to the media.
Spencer’s social media pages reveal him to be a flamboyant dresser and a keen supporter of liberal causes including Black Lives Matter and the ACLU.
In November he starred in a production of the Tony-Award winning ‘Urinetown: The Musical’ with fellow students from the McDaniel Theatre Arts Department.
His dad Peter left Citi in 2020 to become a senior partner at Nexus Luxury Collection, a global real estate firm that operates high-end resorts and golf courses across the US and Bahamas.
In November 2022 DailyMail.com snapped world exclusive photos of Sam Bankman-Fried pacing up and down anxiously on the terrace of his $40 million marina penthouse at the same Bahamian complex that the party was held
The 600-acre complex boasts a mega-yacht marina, a championship-caliber golf course designed by two-time US Open winner Ernie Els and even has its own school
The Albany resort is said to operate a strict no photos or autographs rule to protect the privacy of well-heeled celebs who flock to the gated hideaway to enjoy the upscale facilities and powder-white private beach
Albany, one of the jewels in its crown, is said to operate a strict no photos or autographs rule to protect the privacy of well-heeled celebs who flock to the New Providence getaway to enjoy the swish facilities and powder-white private beach.
The 600-acre complex boasts a mega-yacht marina, a championship-caliber golf course designed by two-time US Open winner Ernie Els, a recording studio and its own school.
Nightly renters pay anything between $1,700 and $44,950 plus taxes, according to Forbes.
Jailed crypto fraudster Sam Bankman-Fried previously owned a $40 million penthouse atop one of Albany’s luxe apartment buildings.
In November 2022 DailyMail.com snapped world exclusive photos of the shaggy-haired conman pacing up and down anxiously on the terrace as law enforcement closed in to arrest him over his collapsed FTX empire.
