Credits Show Funimation Allegedly Continued Working with Former One Piece Voice Actor Scott Freeman Despite 2014 Child Pornography Arrest

Credits Show Funimation Allegedly Continued Working with Former One Piece Voice Actor Scott Freeman Despite 2014 Child Pornography Arrest

According to voice acting credits on certain Funimation titles, the anime production studio continued working with former High School DxD voice actor Scott Freeman after he was arrested for and charged with possession of child pornography.

After recent attention was brought to a video showing various anime voice actors attending a very ‘friendly’ Okratron 5000 holiday party, fans noticed that one of the voice actors in attendance was Freeman, who would be charged only months later with eight counts of possession of child pornography on April 5th, 2014. Following his arrest, Freeman’s ongoing roles were quickly recast, including his roles as Issei Hyodo in High School DxD, Bixlow in Fairy Tail, and Yasopp in One Piece.

Related: Okratron 5000 Employees and Anime Voice Actors Including Dragon Ball’s Christopher Sabat Recorded Engaging in Sexual Humor and Touching at Past Holiday Party

However, it appears that despite his arrest, Freeman’s career in anime was far from over. According to IMDB and Anime News Network credits, Freeman continued to be cast in Funimation productions, albeit in significantly smaller roles, well into 2015.

The following shows featured Freeman in simuldub roles produced from anime that originally premiered in Japan following Freeman’s arrest on April 5th, 2014:

– Takehaya in Kasisama Kiss 2

Japanese series air date: January 5th, 2015

– Chu Hachikawa in Tokyo Ghoul Root A

Japanese series air date: January 8th, 2015

Related: Funimation Issues Statement Regarding Vic Mignogna’s Removal from Morose Monokean II

– Ryuki in Assassination Classroom

Japanese series air date: January 10th, 2015

– Tatsuhiko in The Rolling Girls

Japanese series air date: January 10th, 2015

Freeman has not appeared in any roles following his September 2015 conviction, which saw the disgraced voice actor sentenced to three years in federal prison. He has since been released from prison and as of 2019 now resides in Papillion, Nebraska as a registered sex offender.

Related: UPDATE: Monica Rial Recalls Alleged Assault, Questions Vic Mignogna’s “Delivery” During Defamation Lawsuit Deposition

Funimation’s alleged continued employment of Freeman offers a sharp contrast to the termination of their contract with voice actor Vic Mignogna after an internal “investigation” based on accusations and claims made by his fellow voice actors.

As of writing, it remains unclear why Freeman’s arrest warranted a lighter punishment than the accusations against Mignogna.

According to a statement from Funimation provied to Anime News Network in 2015, the company claims they were not aware of Freeman’s legal trouble until May of 2015, over a year after Freeman’s initial charging:

“In May of 2015, FUNimation became aware of the legal matter involving Scott Freeman, at which time we suspended our relationship with Scott. In the wake of recent news, we have permanently ended the relationship. Any other questions should be directed to Scott Freeman directly.”

It still remains unclear how Freeman’s legal troubles remained hidden from Funimation for this extended period of time.

**Editor’s Note: This article was updated to include Funimation’s response after Freeman was convicted.**

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