A woman claims that the rapper took money from her, then forced her to have sex with him to get it back, at a Nevada brothel in 2014

Note: This article contains descriptions of alleged sexual assault that some readers may find disturbing.

RiFF RAFF is due to stand trial next year in a sexual assault case stemming from a 2014 incident at a Nevada brothel, court documents reviewed by Pitchfork have revealed. The civil case, which will come before a Washoe County, Nevada jury on May 28, 2019, was filed on October 23, 2014 and has not previously been reported publicly.

A woman identified as Jane Doe filed the civil suit against RiFF RAFF (birth name: Horst Christian Simco) and his frequent collaborator DollaBillGates (Eric Lasaan Bing), and accuses them of sexual assault, sexual battery, intentional infliction of emotional distress, false imprisonment, and civil conspiracy tied to an incident that took place in the early morning of August 31, 2014. (At the time of the alleged incident, RiFF RAFF, then 32, was arguably at the height of his popularity; one week earlier, he made national headlines for attending the MTV Video Music Awards with Katy Perry.) The accuser is asking for at least $12 million in damages to cover medical expenses, lost wages, physical, emotional, and psychological trauma, legal costs, and more. (Jane Doe’s legal team declined to comment for this article.)

Court documents reveal conflicting stories about the alleged incident. On August 30, 2014, Jane Doe, then 21, and an acquaintance (identified in documents as Sara) attended a RiFF RAFF concert at the Bunny Ranch Bar & Cigar in Mound House, Nevada after they had finished working as dancers at bachelor parties earlier in the night. After the show, they waited outside the venue, “hoping to meet [RiFF RAFF]... because they were fans of some of his music,” according to the complaint.

After meeting RiFF RAFF and DollaBillGates, Jane Doe and Sara went with them to a bungalow at the Bunny Ranch, the famous brothel adjacent to the venue. Once in the room, RiFF RAFF allegedly laid out lines of cocaine. In an interview with Detective Marty Dues of the Lyon County Sheriff's Office in Nevada on November 21, 2014, the transcript of which was submitted to the court, Jane Doe said that RiFF RAFF and DollaBillGates used the cocaine, and that she and Sara did not. (According to court filings, DollaBillGates and Sara later told the same detective that all four of them used cocaine and drank alcohol that night; RiFF RAFF has not admitted to any drug use.)

Jane Doe claimed that RiFF RAFF then took a bag full of the cash that the women had earned earlier that night and started to stack it. According to the complaint, he allegedly told Jane Doe and Sara, “If you want this money back, you are both going to fuck me,” and, “If you don’t, you’re not going to like what’s going to happen and you are not getting your precious money back.”

In the same interview with Detective Dues, Jane Doe described an intimidating environment in which RiFF RAFF told the women how much money they could make (for him and themselves) by working for him. Jane Doe also told the detective that DollaBillGates was physically blocking the door to the room, preventing them from leaving as RiFF RAFF was talking to them.

According to the complaint, Jane Doe said that the women agreed to have sex with RiFF RAFF to get their money back. She alleged that both women performed oral sex on RiFF RAFF and had vaginal intercourse with him. Jane Doe also claimed that RiFF RAFF forced her to perform oral sex on DollaBillGates, saying, “Bitch, do you want your money or not?” and, “then do what you’re fucking told.” She said that after both rappers finished, they gave them their money back.

RiFF RAFF denied the allegations in a court declaration from September 14, 2016. “I did not sexually assault [Jane Doe], nor did I have any sexual contact with her whatsoever,” he said. “At no time did I force [Jane Doe] to perform any sexual act on me or anyone else.” RiFF RAFF’s legal team later claimed “he is being targeted because [Jane Doe] believes him to be a wealthy public figure,” according to court documents.

Sara’s version of the night in question contrasts greatly with Jane Doe’s, according to the transcript of her interview with Detective Dues, which took place on an unspecified date. Sara said she was not “fearful,” nor did she “feel forced” with RiFF RAFF, and said that Jane Doe was “just trying to make up stories.” Sara also said that DollaBillGates did not, any point, block the door to exit. In his own interview with Detective Dues, which took place on May 14, 2015, DollaBillGates denied any sexual assault taking place at the Bunny Ranch bungalow, according to a transcript.

On the night of August 31, 2014, the same day as the alleged assault, Jane Doe filed a police report with the South Lake Tahoe Police Department in California, where she lives; it was later provided to the Lyon County Sheriff’s Office in Nevada. Jane Doe also underwent a sexual assault examination in the early morning of September 1, 2014, about 24 hours after the alleged incident. She said that the alleged sexual assault aggravated an ovarian cyst, causing her pain, the police report stated.

After speaking with Jane Doe, Sara, and DollaBillGates (but not RiFF RAFF), the deputy report shows that Detective Dues of the Lyon County Sheriff’s Office closed Jane Doe’s criminal case against RiFF RAFF. He wrote in his report, “The reported assault cannot be proven due to the lack of physical evidence, forensic evidence, and direct evidence including the contradictory eye witness testimony of Sara. The above problematic issues couple with [Jane Doe’s] unbelievable and ever-changing accounts preclude this investigation from continuing further.” He cited 14 discrepancies in the case, including whether DollaBillGates was guarding the door, who did cocaine, and who had sex with whom.

Jane Doe’s civil suit remained open, and RiFF RAFF and DollaBillGates were served with multiple summonses in the 19 months following the suit’s October 2014 filing. According to court documents, she appeared before a judge on April 15, 2016 to determine the damages owed her as a result of the alleged assault. She explained how past trauma predisposed her to severe PTSD. “I have been clinically diagnosed with PTSD, manic depression, social anxiety, and... insomnia,” she told the court. “It’s just completely turned my world upside down.” A clinical psychologist (who first saw Jane Doe in November 2014 after her lawyers referred her to the doctor) also told the court that Jane Doe suffered from severe PTSD connected to the alleged assault.

When asked why she initially chose to withhold her name in the lawsuit, Jane Doe said she was “in fear of [her] life.” She continued: “Because [RiFF RAFF] threatened that if I were to report anything, he would come and find me.” (Pitchfork has chosen to continue calling her “Jane Doe” to protect her anonymity.)

In the weeks that followed the hearing, Jane Doe’s lawyers sent RiFF RAFF a memorandum of alleged damages, now totaling around $12 million. His lawyers appeared in court on May 20, 2016, claiming they had been unaware of the suit until May 19, 2016. RiFF RAFF later gave a variety of reasons as to why he did not answer the previous summons, including confusion over the paperwork.

DollaBillGates has still not responded to his May 5, 2015 summons. On October 6, 2017, Jane Doe’s team filed for a default judgment against him. The default was approved. Meanwhile, RiFF RAFF’s team argued that DollaBillGates should not be a defendant in the case. The court ruled otherwise. The date for a hearing to determine the damages DollaBillGates potentially owes has not been set.

Earlier this year, as Jane Doe’s case against RiFF RAFF continued unknown to the public, the rapper was accused publicly of rape. As referenced by Jane Doe’s legal team in court filings, an Australian woman came forward this past May claiming that RiFF RAFF sexually assaulted her in 2013 when she was 19 years old. According the woman, RiFF RAFF drugged her with codeine and alcohol before having sex with her while she was unconscious. He denied the allegations a couple of weeks later in a video called “Trial by Media.” He stated, “Never once have I forced a girl to have sex. Never once have I forced a girl to do any type of drugs. I don’t want to have a girl drunk and sleepy.”

In August 2018, Jane Doe’s lawyers filed a motion for sanctions against RiFF RAFF that points to a pattern of alleged behavior. “It has now become apparent that [RiFF RAFF]’s sexual assault of [Jane Doe] in this case is part of a pattern of perversion preceded by multiple other undisclosed acts of perverted conduct and sexual assault of young women,” the motion stated. The lawyers cited other incidents, including an allegation by a woman who said that when she was 17, RiFF RAFF touched her inappropriately and tried to coerce her into having sex with him, and 2013 incidents in which two women accused him of masturbating in front of them without their consent.

In the motion, Jane Doe’s lawyers also claim that RiFF RAFF omitted facts, represented himself falsely, bullied and intimidated Jane Doe and witnesses, and more. In response, RiFF RAFF’s legal team has asked the court to strike Jane Doe’s motion for sanctions because, in part, they claim, it “packs as much scandalous material therein as is humanly possible, and for good measure, accuses opposing counsel of perpetrating a fraud upon the Court.”

When contacted by Pitchfork, RiFF RAFF’s lawyer said in a statement, “Mr. Simco and his representatives take allegations of sexual misconduct very seriously.” They added, “This case is set for a jury trial in May of 2019, and Mr. Simco looks forward to the opportunity to clear his name.”

If you or someone you know has been affected by sexual violence and need to talk, we recommend these resources:

RAINN

https://rainn.org

1-800-656-HOPE (4673)

Crisis Text Line

https://www.facebook.com/crisistextline (chat support)

SMS: Text “HERE” to 741-741