Kevin Spacey charged with sexual assault, defends himself in video

Dec. 24 (UPI) -- Prosecutors announced actor Kevin Spacey is being charged with felony sexual assault around the same time the actor posted a video online appearing to defend himself.

Cape and Islands District Attorney Michael O'Keefe said Spacey is due to be arraigned Jan. 7 on a felony charge of indecent assault and battery stemming from an encounter with a then-18-year-old at a Nantucket, Mass., bar in July 2016.

Former Boston WCVB-TV news anchor Heather Unruh released a statement in November 2017 alleging her son was sexually assaulted by Spacey after the actor bought him numerous alcoholic drinks at the Club Car Restaurant in Nantucket.

Around the same time the charges were announced Monday, a video was posted to Kevin Spacey's YouTube account showing the actor, in character as Frank Underwood from House of Cards, appearing to defend the actor.

The video, titled "Let me be Frank," features Spacey wearing a Christmas apron and speaking directly to the camera, as his character was known to do before being written out of the sixth and final season of House of Cards.

Spacey appears to criticize the series' final season while at the same time defend his real-life persona from the allegations against him.

Spacey was fired from the Netflix series amid sexual assault accusations from several men, starting with an allegation from actor Anthony Rapp that the then-26-year-old Spacey drunkenly tried to seduce him while he was a 14-year-old child actor working on Broadway.