A New Hampshire state lawmaker producing and starring in a porn film assaulted his business partner in California after he felt his scenes didn’t go well, according to a civil lawsuit filed by the partner.
Jonathan Carter filed the suit Friday in Southern California, seeking unspecified damages following a June incident that he claims involved state Rep. Frank Sapareto.
Southern California prosecutors have declined to file criminal charges.
Simi Valley police Sgt. Steve Shorts said Monday the Ventura County district attorney’s office found there was insufficient evidence to charge state Rep. Sapareto, a 58-year-old Republican legislator from Derry, N.H
Jonathan Carter said in a lawsuit filed last week that Sapareto assaulted him in June after becoming upset with his experience starring in the film.
Shorts says police issued a misdemeanor battery citation to Sapareto after Carter reported the alleged attack and referred the case to prosecutors. Shorts says prosecutors declined to charge him based on Carter’s allegations because of insufficient evidence.
A civil action
The suit said that Carter, 38, and Sapareto formed a partnership to make adult movies and Sapareto would star in the first film. It said Sapareto filmed scenes for the movie in California but became upset with how they went and the next day went to Carter’s home and hit him in the head, face and body. Carter claims he suffered a concussion.
Sapareto denied the allegations or knowing Carter or having any business involvement with the adult film industry.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Sapareto said in a phone interview.
“Wow, that’s a great story,” he said, laughing. “I haven’t heard that one. I thought we were all done going after men.”
Police issued a citation to Sapareto for a misdemeanor battery investigation and referred the case to the Ventura County district attorney’s office, which declined to file criminal charges due to insufficient evidence, Shorts said.
Eric Dubin, Carter’s attorney, said he could not immediately provide additional details about Carter’s background and said he received the case last week. He said the suit seeks unspecified punitive damages and “reaches a new level of needing to deter others, especially in high office.”
In a police report provided by Dubin, authorities say Sapareto told them that he met Carter online while seeking a business partner to make an adult film and that he went to his home to return camera equipment. According to the police report, he denied assaulting him.
When asked about the police report, Sapareto said that he was stopped for a traffic violation. In a follow-up email, he said police didn’t find the allegation credible and that he has not been accused of anything.
A certificate of formation for a company in New Hampshire called Standard Video LLC lists Sapareto as a “member.”
Sapareto, who is in his seventh term in the House and is vice chair of the criminal justice and public safety committee, previously served in the state Senate. In 2013, he was convicted of simple assault for pushing his girlfriend’s daughter but served no jail time. He once sponsored legislation to change the simple assault laws so that any fight entered into by “mutual consent” would only be a violation, not a misdemeanor. That bill failed to pass the Legislature.
He is running for re-election next month and said if he wins, he plans to run for House speaker.
“I imagine this is probably just another bump along the way,” he said.
3 Responses
I wonder if anal, DP, and GBs are on the rise in modern culture? Most likely if it is you could attribute it to porn movies.