An Arizona woman who accused former MLB pitcher Trevor Bauer of sexual assault in a lawsuit has now been indicted by a grand jury for fraudulent schemes and theft by extortion. According to ESPN, the woman, Darcy Esemonu, has been charged with two felonies and is scheduled for arraignment on April 26th in Maricopa County.
Esemonu had previously filed a lawsuit against Bauer in 2022, claiming he sexually assaulted her in 2020 and that she became pregnant from the encounter. But in January 2023, Bauer’s attorney filed a criminal complaint with the Scottsdale Police Department, accusing Esemonu of attempting to extort money from Bauer. The complaint alleged that Esemonu demanded $3.6 million from Bauer, claiming he had forced her to have an abortion.
Bauer’s attorneys told ESPN that Esemonu’s actions were an attempt to harass and extort money from Bauer after he had been accused of sexual assault by several other women. They also stated that Esemonu made up the sexual assault claim in order to facilitate her extortion attempt.
In the police reports obtained by ESPN, Esemonu initially told police that she had miscarried but later changed her story to claim that she had an abortion. However, medical records did not show any proof that Esemonu was pregnant. A police detective noted that the lack of evidence in the case raised significant doubts about the validity of Esemonu’s claims.
In his lawsuit against Esemonu, Bauer also accused the woman of attempting to extort money from him, claiming that she had a history of seeking financial benefits from relationships. He released a video in which he shared text messages between Esemonu and her friends, which suggested that she had always been focused on getting money from him. The video also included a clip taken minutes before Hill left Bauer’s house, showing her in bed next to him with no signs of distress.
Bauer was suspended for 324 games following the allegations by Esemonu and another woman, but an independent arbitrator later reduced the ban to 194 games in December. No team picked him up, and he began playing in Japan for the Yokohama DeNa Baystars, where he had a successful season.
Bauer’s attorney stated that the reduction in the suspension was due to the evidence presented by Bauer, which showed that the sexual encounter was consensual. It also revealed that the woman had a history of seeking financial benefits from relationships.
Esemonu’s indictment by the grand jury is a significant turn of events in the case, and it is unclear how it will impact the ongoing lawsuits between Bauer and Esemonu. It remains to be seen how the legal proceedings will unfold and whether Bauer will continue to pursue legal action against Esemonu.
For now, Bauer is focused on playing baseball in Japan and has expressed his desire to return to the MLB in the future. However, with this new development in the case, it is possible that Bauer’s legal battle with Esemonu may continue to overshadow his career for some time to come.
