The son of Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Michael Chabon is facing a felony rape charge for allegedly choking and beating a woman while molesting her, Manhattan prosecutors said.
Abraham Chabon, 20, was charged June 12 with second-degree strangulation and first-degree rape earlier in the alleged Jan. 25, 2024, attack, according to a felony complaint unsealed in court.
The younger Chabon, a student at NYU, made his second court appearance Wednesday after being arraigned on the charges last week.
He is accused of grabbing the victim by the neck, making it difficult for her to breathe, then carrying her to a bed where he raped her and “struck [the victim] repeatedly in the face … causing stupor and loss of vision in one eye,” the complaint said.
The alleged crime occurred on East 12th Street, prosecutors said.
“Abe is innocent and was as shocked by these false allegations as anyone,” Chabon’s lawyer, Priya Chaudhry, said in a statement.
“He has strong family support and a devoted partner who all believe in his innocence,” Chaudhry said. “We hope the prosecutors’ investigation reveals his innocence quickly. Meanwhile, we prepare to fiercely fight this false allegation and clear this gentle young man’s name.”
He arrived at the courthouse on Wednesday with his mother, Israeli-American novelist Ayelet Waldman.
His father is a noted American writer and Pulitzer Prize winner, whose works include “Moonglow,” “Wonder Boys,” The Mysteries of Pittsburgh” and “Telegraph Avenue.”
Michael Chabon won the 2001 Pulitzer Prize for fiction for his novel “The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay” and was inducted into the American Academy of Arts and Letters in 2012.
Abraham Chabon was released after his June 13 arraignment, with Manhattan Criminal Court Judge Kacie Lally setting bail at $45,000 cash or a $150,000 bond.
He faces a prison sentence of five-to-25 years if convicted of the rape charge.
