Update as of 10-15-2018 -- The Trevino vs. Alfieri case has been dismissed by both parties. As we have agreed to move forward, the dismissed case will remain confidential.
Secret
noun /'si•krit/A piece of information that is not generally known or is not known by someone else and should not be told to others.
----- Cambridge Dictionaries Online
How many of us have secrets? I would believe that everyone has at least one secret -- a secret that has either only been told to one other person or a secret that has never been shared at all.
Why do we keep secrets "secret"?
- It is someone else's secret. Someone has confided in us and has asked us not to divulge the "private" and secretive information. We are all familiar with the phrase, "let's keep this between us," or "promise not to tell a soul."
- What we keep secret is shameful. Secrets become secrets when we opt not to share them publicly. If we perceive something we have done as unacceptable and shameful, we will hide it and even deny it ever happened.
- We are afraid to tell. We see this type of "secrets" in abusive relationships.
Now, let's talk about Bill Cosby and his over two dozen alleged victims who have come forward with claims of sexual assault. Do I believe he did what the victims claim he did? I personally do. I say this not because I dislike Bill Cosby. In fact, I always liked him. But it is impossible to ignore 25 women telling a similar story describing how they were drugged and raped by him.
Some skeptics might ask why these victims waited over 40 years to speak up. My answer to them would be - Because they needed someone to be the first person, brave enough to tell the truth. When the first victim spoke, then another one followed, it was just a matter of time for the truth to be uncovered.
Some people have commented on some of the recent articles about Bill Cosby that they consider Bill Cosby INNOCENT until proven guilty. After all, that is a basic constitutional right in the United States, isn't it? I cannot say I disagree with that statement. However, there are truths that do not need to be proven in a courtroom. And there are also those truths that cannot necessarily be proven with clear and convincing evidence. We know that justice does not always prevail when it comes from a verdict in a criminal case. Let's not forget the O.J. Simpson trial.
Below you can click on the video where Bill Cosby is interviewed. He refuses to talk about the rape allegations. Why would he anyway? Whatever he could say about it would be incriminating. Is he going to deny 100% of what has been said by the two dozen victims? Is he going to partially admit some of the allegations?
It must be really hard for Bill Cosby to come to terms with what he has done to so many women. He probably thought that because it has been such a long time, he could put those experiences behind him. But that does not seem to be the case. In fact, VIBE wrote an article yesterday -- "More than two-dozen women have come forward in the media and accused comedian Bill Cosby of raping them, but only one has the statute of limitations on her side. Chloe Goins says in 2008, Cosby drugged and raped her at a party at the Playboy Mansion in Los Angeles." For full article Bill Cosby May Actually Be Prosecuted for Rape Accusations
Now Cosby's attorney is telling the media that Bill Cosby was not even in Los Angeles at the time of the alleged assault at the Playboy Mansion in 2008. Whatever the truth is about that specific incident with Ms. Goins, there are too many other allegations that cannot be ignored.
NBC was developing a new sitcom featuring Cosby. NBC executive Robert Greenblatt who had supported the network's decision to wait before cutting ties with Bill Cosby explains why they eventually dropped this new project.
“Fifteen women came out and accused him of what they accused him of. While over the years we heard [about some of the rape allegations] and knew there were a couple settlements and what not, it didn’t seem to be the thing that was critical mass. When we realized there seemed to be so much more of it, it wasn’t the something where we could go ‘Oh, we’re not sure.’”
“He hasn’t been proven guilty of anything,” continued Greenblatt. “I don’t want to be the one who says ‘guilty until proven innocent.’ But when that many people come out and have similar complaints it causes such a tainted situation there was no way we could move forward with it. The good news is, unlike Netflix [which had a completed, already filmed stand-up special with Cosby before everything blew up], we’re developing a script. We didn’t even have a first draft… I’m glad we’re out from under that.”
Asked by a reporter to say what changed, Greenblatt said the “critical mass” of allegations against Cosby is “what just happened two months ago.” When the reporter asked, “So 15 [women making accusations] ‘yes,’ [but] two or three ‘no’?” “Yeah, you want me to put a number on it?” Greenblatt replied. “Fifteen ‘yes,’ two ‘no.’ Yeah, you want me to answer that question? All I can tell you is there’s a lot of people who have been in business with Cosby for 25 years and go ask them the same question. I just answered what I could answer. I didn’t think it was a problem until it became critical.”
For most of the victims, because it has been such a long time, there is nothing than can be done about it in a court of law. If it is too late to prosecute such behavior, then WHY report it now?
I personally believe that burying such a dark secret takes a toll on our livelihood. If we deny such a traumatic event happened and hide it in a dark corner, we will never have a chance to get over it and heal. We would start doubting ourselves. We could even start to doubt it ever happened.
It is clear that these victims were afraid to speak up. They probably started to doubt anything really happened to them. After all, most of them had been drugged and had no clear recollection of how things unfolded. And who would have believed them back then? It would have been their word against Bill Cosby's word. In addition, these women had no idea they were not the only victims.
I can only imagine how each of them gathered the courage to talk after hearing similar stories from others. I applaud all those women for speaking their truth and for honoring themselves. I am sure this has been very healing for them.
I also believe that there must still be many out there that have opted to remain silent at the moment. They might share their story one day, or they might keep that secret buried. It is their individual journey and they choose their own path.
My Case and Why I Decided to Speak Up
I have chosen to speak up and tell the truth about what happened with Victor Alfieri. I believe that what he did to me is horrendous and certainly illegal. Not only did he defraud me into investing in a production company he never intended to build, but he slandered me, took my money and used it to sue me. Now I am trying to have the courts consider my case and make him face the consequences of his actions.
I am not the only person who has been victimized by Aflieri. I know about at least three other people who have similar stories as to Alfieri's crazy and delusional allegations against them. I have promised to keep their names confidential. So I will not be mentioning any details until the time is right and I get approval from the parties involved. All I can say is that this blog has been instrumental in disclosing facts that have helped others in their dealings with Alfieri.
If you are reading this post and would like to share any information or concerns with me, please feel free to contact me by sending me a private email.
Sometimes we might feel that nobody understands or cares about us. But that is not true. We are not on our own in the world. We are meant to share our life while fulfilling a purpose. That purpose although individual for each of us can only be attained if we reach out to others. We cannot expect others to read our mind. So let's speak our truth and ask for support if needed. Let's offer a compassionate helping hand to those who don't know how to ask. And let's remember that we are not alone on this journey.
Disclaimer – As of October 15, 2018, all legal issues (Trevino vs. Alfieri) have been resolved. This resolution was reached during arbitration. There are no pending issues (Trevino vs. Alfieri) related to fraud or theft. The resolution was mutually agreeable. There will be no more posts written about this story.
