Experts say the message model Emma Appleton, inset, received from Terry Richardson, main, offering a Vogue spread for sex was actually fake.
(Photo: Splash News (main); Instagram (inset))
Fashion photographer Terry Richardson has again been accused of bad behavior involving a young model — but it was a hoax, according to a web expert.
On Sunday, UK model Emma Appleton claimed she received a Facebook message from Richardson saying, “If i can [bleep] you i will book you in ny for a shoot for Vogue.”
After she posted the message on Twitter, Vogue weighed in, saying it has “no plans” to work with him.
But sources told us Facebook found the account from which the message was sent in violation of standards of authenticity, and not from a verified Richardson account.
Online forensic expert, Theo Yedinsky, said Facebook had removed the fake account, which he discovered was set up two weeks ago from “some random Gmail account.”
A representative of Terry Richardson says RE the Emma Appleton text: "This is obviously a fake. Terry did not send this text."
— Kate Aurthur (@KateAurthur) April 20, 2014
A source close to Richardson said, “The whole thing is defamatory and possibly illegal. Appleton’s agent was informed about the fake account . . . but refused to acknowledge the truth and continued to grandstand.”
Appleton has deleted her Twitter profile, saying, “If the account is fake, then it needs to be removed. If it is real, then he is a hideous human.”
Richardson has previously been accused in the press of sexual misconduct with models.
No charges were ever filed.