Jason Lee Update: Goldman Sachs banker pleads not guilty at arraignment in Hamptons rape case, posts $100K bond
(CBS) RIVERHEAD, N.Y. - Jason Lee, a 37-year-old married New York City investment banker, pleaded not guilty at his arraignment Friday on a grand jury indictment alleging he raped a 20-year-old woman in August at an East Hampton home that he rented with his wife.
With his wife by Lee's side, a judge set bail at $100,000 cash, which he posted immediately.
CBS New York reports Lee left the courthouse in Riverhead without saying a word.
His lawyer, Edward Burke Jr., admitted to reporters that his client did have sex with the 20-year-old, but said it was consensual, according to the station.
"We have what is a rush to arrest my client, a rush to the grand jury and a rush to indict my client," Burke said.
"This case will show and demonstrate that Jason Lee did not do these acts that he is accused of," Burke said. "The forcible nature of this case and what appears to be a very violent exchange, I will tell you all there is not a bump, there is not a bruise, there is not a scratch on my client at all."
Prosecutors said Lee was celebrating his birthday at a club in Wainscott Aug. 20 when he invited the 20-year-old woman and her friends back to his rental home. The woman said that once at the house, Lee undressed, forced his way into a bathroom and pinned her to the floor, CBS New York reports. He was arrested and charged following the incident.
"She was forcibly raped," Suffolk County District Attorney Tom Spota said, adding that the woman was treated at a hospital following the assault. "The injuries were consistent with the allegations that she was making with respect to what occurred in the bathroom."
Spota said the victim is from Ireland but was working in the U.S. at the time of the attack. She has since returned to Ireland, but will come back to New York for a trial, he said.
Lee, who lives in Manhattan, is on a leave of absence as a managing director in Goldman Sachs' equity capital markets department.
If convicted of first-degree rape, he could face up to 25 years in prison.