In a shocking turn of events, a woman who had previously accused Trevor Bauer, the former Major League Baseball (MLB) pitcher, of sexual assault has now been indicted herself. The charges against her allege she defrauded the exiled sportsman under the pretense of a fabricated pregnancy.
Darcy Adanna Esemonu, who had earlier filed a lawsuit against Bauer, has been indicted for purportedly defrauding the former Cy Young award winner in Arizona. Esemonu had allegedly demanded $1.6 million from Bauer, claiming he had impregnated her.
The charges against her include one count of fraudulent schemes and artifices. Bauer and another unnamed man have been listed as the alleged victims in the case. Apart from this, she has also been charged with theft by extortion, but this charge only pertains to the unnamed second victim.
The indictment against Esemonu came a few weeks after it was handed down by a grand jury, as per documents provided by the Maricopa County District Attorney’s Office. If convicted, Esemonu could face imprisonment exceeding 16 years.
Fraudulent schemes and artifices, the primary charge against Esemonu, is described as obtaining a benefit under false pretenses. This could refer to her alleged demand of $1.6 million from Bauer under the pretense of being pregnant with his child.
Bauer has categorically denied all accusations of sexual assault lodged against him over the years. In a video message that lasted five minutes, Bauer alleged that Esemonu had lied about their consensual sexual encounter. He also asserted that Esemonu was never pregnant, despite her claims.
“We had one plain sexual encounter in December of 2020, nothing that could be
considered remotely rough,” said Bauer.
Multiple outlets, including Fox News, reported that Esemonu is the same woman who had sued Bauer in Arizona in 2023. In her lawsuit, she had accused Bauer of holding a knife to her throat and choking her until she passed out. The lawsuit also alleged that the sexual encounter had resulted in her pregnancy, which Bauer has denied.
Bauer, who has never been charged over the allegations, countersued Esemonu. He claimed that she demanded $1.6 million to terminate the supposed pregnancy. Although Bauer refused to pay the amount, he stated he would support whatever choice she made. He ended up paying $8,761 related to the alleged pregnancy and abortion, as per his countersuit.
Bauer, in his video, claimed Esemonu had made several “seven-figure” demands and only hired a lawyer after Bauer’s first accuser, Lindsey Hill, came forward with her allegations.
“She then demanded $3.6 million dollars and claimed I forced her to have an
abortion leaving her ‘emotionally devastated and irretrievably damaged’ by
it,” Bauer claimed in the video message.
Bauer also alleged that Esemonu had a clear modus operandi of lying to men to get their money, resorting to extortion if necessary. If they refused to pay, she would then file a sexual assault complaint and a civil suit against them.
The potential consequences of these charges for Esemonu could be severe. If she is convicted on both charges of fraudulent schemes and artifices and of theft by extortion, she could face over 16 years in prison.
The Maricopa County District Attorney’s Office has not disclosed any information beyond the indictment. Meanwhile, a potential legal representative for Esemonu, linked to the civil case, did not respond to messages seeking comment.
Bauer was released by the Los Angeles Dodgers in January 2023 after serving a lengthy suspension related to the allegations. He has since pitched in Japan and Mexico, with hopes of returning to the major leagues.
