Two additional men have accused Michael Tait of drugging and sexually assaulting them, bringing the number of people who have come forward publicly with allegations to eight.
According to The Guardian, the latest claims include Jason Jones, the founding manager of alt-rock band Evanescence, and Randall Crawford, a longtime friend and collaborator from Tait’s Nashville circle in the 1990s and early 2000s.
Jones alleges the assault occurred in late 1998 after a night of drinking at Tait’s home. He says he awoke multiple times with his pants missing and Tait performing oral sex, resisted verbally and physically, and believes he was drugged.
Jones also claims he was pushed out of Evanescence’s early management in 1999 after speaking up, which he says cut him off from the band’s later success. Evanescence co-founder Ben Moody denies Jones was fired for speaking out and says that as an 18-year-old, he initially interpreted the encounter as consensual, adding he didn’t recognize possible trauma at the time.
Meanwhile, Crawford alleges that in 2000, he blacked out after a single drink at Tait’s house and later came to with his pants around his ankles while Tait was sexually assaulting him. He believes he was drugged. Two close friends corroborated that Crawford told them about the incident at the time, though one says he learned the alleged perpetrator’s identity years later. Crawford says the experience derailed his music career.
Previous reporting cited three men who accused Tait of sexual assault, and three others who alleged misconduct. This same previous report also noted a woman who says a Newsboys crew member drugged and raped her with a substance she believed was supplied by Tait; she alleges Tait watched.
Tait has not answered The Guardian’s questions about the new claims. In a June Instagram post, he acknowledged a long struggle with cocaine and alcohol and said he had “at times, touched men in an unwanted, sensual way,” adding that he’d recently completed six weeks at a treatment center in Utah.
Evanescence representatives did not respond to The Guardian‘s requests for comment.
