Melissa Schuman, former member of the early 2000s pop group Dream, has accused the Backstreet Boys’ Nick Carter of rape. In a blog post, Schuman said while she and Carter worked on a made-for-TV movie together, he invited her to his apartment. There, she said he took her to a bathroom where, after she told him she “didn’t want to go any further” beyond kissing, he performed oral sex on her. Then, she said, he took her to the bedroom and raped her. Read her full account.

Writing about the experience, Schuman said she felt “scared and trapped,” saying Carter became “very angry” when she refused his request for oral sex in return. She then wrote about what happened when he took her to the bedroom. “He threw me on the bed and climbed on top of me,” she wrote. “Again, I told him that I was a virgin and I didn’t want to have sex. I told him that I was saving myself for my future husband. I said it over and over again. He whispered in my ear as to entice me, ‘I could be your husband.’” She said she received voicemails from Carter “for weeks” afterward until he left “one last nasty, angry message.”

Schuman said she confided in her manager at the time, saying she wanted to press charges against Carter. “He later informed me that my abuser had the most powerful litigator in the country.” She said she was told that “it would ultimately hurt me professionally as well as publicly” to pursue legal action. Schuman noted that she was inspired to come forward with her story after reading negative comments beneath RadarOnline’s October 26 report, which claimed that Carter was investigated for sexual assault in 2006. She wrote:

I certainly don’t want to be “known” for this. I never wanted anybody to know about my story. I wanted to lock it in a box in my mind and let the memories slowly suffocate as time went on. I feel I have an obligation now to come forward with the hope and intention to inspire and encourage other victims to tell their story. We are stronger in numbers. If you are reading this and you have been assaulted, know you don’t have to be silent and you are not alone. I know it’s scary. I’m scared. I believe you. I stand with you and together I hope we can bring light to things that have been lost in the darkness for so long.

Update 11/22: In a statement shared with Pitchfork by his representative, Nick Carter has responded to the allegations: