Craig Sjodin/ABC(MASSACHUSETTS) — Lincoln Adim, a contestant on the current season of The Bachelorette, was convicted of indecent assault and battery last month, the press secretary for the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office in Massachusetts confirmed to ABC News.
Press Secretary Jake Wark said in a statement that Adim was found guilty on May 21 of groping a woman on a harbor cruise ship nearly two years prior.
“He was sentenced to one year in a house of correction, with that term suspended for a two-year probationary period. The judge ordered him to stay away from the victim and attend three Alcoholics Anonymous meetings per week during those two years,” Wark stated. “If he complies with the judge’s orders, he will not have to serve out his term, but if he fails to comply with those orders or re-offends, he could be ordered to serve out the year behind bars. By law, he is expected to register as a sex offender.”
On Thursday, a representative for Warner Bros. told ABC News in a statement that no Bachelorette producers knew about the incident or the charges when they cast Adim.
“We employ a well-respected and highly experienced third party who has done thousands of background checks consistent with industry standards to do a nationwide background check in this case,” the statement reads. “The report we received did not reference any incident or charge relating to the recent conviction – or any other charges relating to sexual misconduct. We are currently investigating why the report did not contain this information, which we will share when we have it.”
A representative for ABC, which airs the reality show, stated that the network does not comment on production-related inquiries.
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