Teen pop singer and heartthrob Justin Bieber has enjoyed incredible success so far in his young career. Aside from having an album and numerous singles go multi-platinum, the former you tube sensation has been nominated for two Grammy Awards, starred in a full feature film, and made more money last year than Jay-Z or Beyonce! Wax statues bearing his likeness appear in Madame Tussauds across the globe and he has been romantically linked to fellow teen pop star Selena Gomez. His enormous following on Facebook, You Yube, and Twitter, perhaps make him the most influential celebrity in the social-networking world. Unfortunately, the good news may stop there, at least for the moment.
A 20-year-old woman named Denise Mariah Yeater is doing her best rendition of Bieber’s best-selling single, “Baby.” She has just recently gone public with the allegation that Bieber is the father of her three-month-old child and has filed a lawsuit against Bieber seeking child support. According to her story, Ms. Yeater claims she and Bieber had sex backstage after a concert at the L.A. Staples Centre on October 25, 2010. She has demanded Bieber take a paternity test and provide support if he is found to be the biological father. When I first read a report of this story, I couldn’t help but think numbers…not dollars, but ages!
I failed to mention at the beginning of this article that Justin Bieber is merely 17-years-old. He was born on March 4, 1994. I’ve never claimed to be a mathematician but that would make Bieber 16 years of age on October 25, 2010. Ms. Yeater could not have been younger than 19 as of that same date. So what we have here is a classic case of Statutory Rape. Under California law, any adult (18 years or older) who engages in sexual intercourse with a minor (under the age of 18) is guilty of statutory rape even if the minor “consents.” See California Penal Code 261.5. So if Ms. Yeater’s story is correct, she is openly confessing to have committed a serious crime. How serious depends on her birthday. If she is 3 years or older than Bieber, then she may be prosecuted for a felony punishable by one year in state prison. If not, then she is guilty of only a misdemeanor.
The point of all this is that Ms. Yeater should have first consulted with Bieber privately about the paternity test before admitting to the world that she raped him! Because if Bieber is found not to be the father, her five minutes of fame will have done nothing but land her in a jail cell.
