Ricky Garcia of boy band Forever In Your Mind has filed a lawsuit accusing former manager Joby Harte of years of sexual abuse.
The 20-year-old performer alleges Harte sexually assaulted him “dozens of times” in his teen years and made him a “sexual plaything that could be passed around his friends in the business.”
Harte “employed the well-worn pedophile playbook of grooming and seduction,” claims Garcia’s lawsuit, which was filed in L.A. County Superior Court on Tuesday.
“He targeted an economically and emotionally vulnerable pre-teen and his parents. He then groomed and seduced the child's mother to have her lay down her defences and give him unfettered access to her son, making her an unwitting accomplice to his depravity.”
Forever In Your Mind, which also consists of Emery Kelly and Liam Attridge, was formed during the third season of the U.S. version of The X-Factor and released EPs in 2016 and 2018. The group released the single “Let Go” last October.
In addition to music, Garcia starred on the Disney Channel series Best Friends Whenever and has roles in several movies.