Hollywood icon Robert De Niro found himself caught in a legal controversy during the height of his career in the 90s. In 1998, the actor was detained by French Police for nine hours in connection to a prostitution ring. This incident attracted significant attention in gossip columns.
Robert De Niro is renowned for his unforgettable roles in iconic movies such as The Godfather series, Taxi Driver, The Irishman, Awakenings, Goodfellas, and Casino, among others. On a personal note, the Hollywood legend recently made headlines when his 19-year-old grandson, Leandro Anthony De Niro-Rodriguez, tragically passed away after consuming a lethal combination of illegal drugs, including fentanyl and cocaine.
Focusing on the controversy surrounding Robert De Niro in 1998, it is reported that he was suspected of involvement in an international prostitution ring. The French Police detained him after discovering his name in an address book linked to a different prostitution investigation from a year earlier. However, the actor vehemently declared his innocence, explaining that he knew many beautiful women and that finding his name in an address book was not unusual.
De Niro’s attorney came forward to assert his client’s innocence firmly. He stated, “I can definitively state that Mr. De Niro, as authorized by him, has never paid for the services of any woman, including those that are under question.” The attorney also claimed that both the judge and the French authorities acted unlawfully by leaking De Niro’s name in connection with the case and illegally detaining him without issuing a proper summons.
Unsurprisingly, the intense interrogation left the Oscar-winning actor enraged, leading him to vow to never return to France. De Niro declared, “I will never come back to France,” and even discouraged his friends from visiting the country. He criticized France for not upholding its own motto of “liberty, equality, and fraternity.” However, contradicting his statement, De Niro did return to France a decade later to attend the Cannes Film Festival.
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