Luxury Manhattan magazine publisher Jason Binn was arrested on Monday in New York City for allegedly grabbing the buttocks of an underage girl. Binn, 54, allegedly grabbed the buttocks of a female relative under the age of 17 after a swanky meal at a Manhattan restaurant on Valentine's Day.
The founder and CEO of the glitzy magazine DuJour was charged with forcible touching intimate parts, endangering the welfare of a child and sexual abuse in the third degree at his arraignment on Monday afternoon. Binn was released on his own recognizance and quickly left without saying anything. He'll be in court again next month.
Sexual Assault
According to a criminal complaint, Binn is accused of groping his 16-year-old relative's buttocks over her clothes outside the Italian hotspot Capriani on February 14. The alleged victim went to the police in late April to file a complaint, according to sources.
The complaint states that Binn touched the unnamed relative "for the purpose of [self-gratification]' and without her consent." The victim alleged that Binn "placed his hand over her clothing and squeezed her buttocks," the document stated.
Binn allegedly "forcibly touched the sexual and other intimate parts of another person for the purpose of degrading and abusing such person, and for the purpose of gratifying the defendant's sexual desire," court papers state.
Binn was released on his own recognizance but left hastily left without saying anything. According to a person close to the matter, told the DailyMail.com that Binn "maintains that he is innocent and will continue to fight these charges."
Lawyer Valentina Shaknes, who said she represents Binn "in his ongoing family law matters," said Monday, "This is unfortunately the latest chapter in a long and bitter divorce proceeding. We will not be commenting any further."
Complicated Personal Life
Binn's personal life is already troubled. According to the Daily Mail, Binn and his wife Haley have been separated since at least 2016. According to public documents, the couple filed for divorce in Manhattan Supreme Court in 2020.
Binn and Haley are parents to two girls and one boy.
The publishing mogul had previously founded Niche Media, an umbrella brand for a series of premium lifestyle periodicals such as such as Gotham, Los Angeles Confidential, Aspen Peak, Ocean Drive, and Hamptons, catering to wealthy enclaves in locations such as Aspen and Los Angeles.
In 2006, he sold Niche Media and launched Dujour Media, which "targets the affluent market and chronicles the vibrant world of the wealthiest and most inspiring individuals," according to his LinkedIn page.
Binn is frequently pictured with celebrities such as Kim Kardashian, Kanye West, and Chrissy Teigen all over the world. He has homes in Tribeca, Aspen, Miami, and Southampton, where he is a regular at the Hamptons' upscale cocktail parties and celebrity scene.
His Instagram account, which has 390,000 followers, has photographs of Kardashian, Katie Holmes, Tom Cruise, and Rob Gronkowski, among others.
The celebrity publisher portrayed himself as a close friend of Donald Trump in the late 1990s. Former model Amy Dorris, his ex-girlfriend, was one of several women who accused the former president of sexual assault. Trump has vehemently refuted the accusations leveled against him.
