Anthony Mason of the Charlotte Hornets has been charged with statutory rape and sexual abuse following accusations he and a cousin had sex with 14- and 15-year-old sisters.
Mason, 31, and his cousin, William Duggins of Queens, N.Y., were freed on bail after Mason posted $20,000–a figure set by Judge Steven Paynter based on the forward’s disorderly conduct conviction last fall. Duggins put up $3,500.
Mason’s lawyer, Frank Rothman, said the former New York Knick was the victim of a setup. He said Mason would appear at his next court date, set for March 9.
“If you have a satellite dish you can see him three nights a week. Where is he going to go?” Rothman asked.
Duggins was arrested once on a minor charge, according to his lawyer, Edward M. Kratt. Paynter ordered the cousins not to contact one another.
Both lawyers said their clients offered to give blood samples for DNA tests to prove their innocence after Assistant District Attorney Scott Kessler said detectives were holding bedding from the alleged attack. The offer was not accepted.
