Actor Gary Busey pleads guilty to sexual offence at horror convention

Gary Busey appears at the Entertainment Studios’ Daytime Emmy and series launch party (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP)

Actor Gary Busey has pleaded guilty to a sexual offence stemming from an appearance at a 2022 horror convention in New Jersey, according to his representatives and court records.

The 81-year-old Buddy Holly star’s manager, Ron Sampson, said in an email on Friday that the actor admitted to touching a woman’s buttocks “over clothing during an 8-10 second photo op”.

Busey entered a guilty plea to a single count of criminal sexual contact during a virtual hearing in state court in Camden on Thursday.

The actor had been accused of inappropriately touching at least three women at the Monster-Mania Convention at the Doubletree Hotel in Cherry Hill, a South Jersey town and suburb of Philadelphia.

In my view Mr Busey was ‘overcharged’ probably based on his star status

Organisers of the event acknowledged at the time that an unnamed celebrity guest was “removed from the convention and instructed not to return” and that affected attendees were encouraged to contact police.

Busey had been scheduled as a featured guest for all three days of the event. He was initially charged with two counts of fourth-degree criminal sexual contact, one count of attempted criminal sexual contact and one count of harassment.

Busey’s lawyer Blair Zwillman confirmed on Friday that the other charges were dropped as part of a plea deal reached with prosecutors. The actor faces up to five years’ probation and fines when he is sentenced September 18.

“In my view Mr Busey was ‘overcharged’ probably based on his star status,” Mr Zwillman said in an email. “He could have just as easily been charged with the disorderly persons offence of harassment by ‘offensive touching’.”

Camden County prosecutors did not immediately respond to an email seeking comment on Friday.

Busey is widely known as a character actor, largely in supporting roles, though he came to attention and was nominated for an Oscar for best actor for playing the title role in the 1978 film The Buddy Holly Story.