Marilyn Manson gets community service, $1400 fine for allegedly blowing nose on videographer
Marilyn Manson has been fined and sentenced to community service after pleading no contest to allegedly blowing his nose on a videographer during a 2019 concert in New Hampshire.
The shock rocker born Brian Warner, 54, had been charged with two misdemeanor counts of simple assault for allegedly spitting a "big lougee" at videographer Susan Fountain in the stage pit area of the venue and later spraying her with "a significant amount of mucous" from one of his nostrils, per a police affidavit.
According to the Associated Press, Manson struck a fully negotiated plea deal in which he pleaded no contest to the nose-blowing charge in court Monday and prosecutors dropped the spitting charge. A no-contest plea means Manson is not contesting the charge but does not admit guilt.
Kevin Winter/Getty Marilyn Manson
Fountain did not appear in court but submitted a statement that was read aloud. "For me, I'm a professional person and I've been in this industry for 30 years," the videographer wrote. "I've worked for a lot of companies, and in all the years I've worked with people, I've never been humiliated or treated the way I was by this defendant."
She continued, "For him to spit on me and blow his nose on me was the most disgusting thing a human being has ever done. I understand this was not a big criminal charge to begin with, but I was hoping that the defendant would receive a sentence that would make him think twice before doing something like this again."
Manson was fined just over $1,400, with $200 suspended, and the judge allowed the singer to carry out his 20 hours of community service in California, per the AP. Manson must remain arrest-free and notify New Hampshire authorities of performances in the state for the next two years.
The nose-blowing case is unrelated to Manson's ongoing legal battle with his former fiancée Evan Rachel Wood, whom Manson sued for defamation in 2022 after she made public allegations of abuse against him. Manson also claims that Wood coerced other women into making more allegations against him. At least 15 women have accused Manson of sexual assault; he has denied the allegations.
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