Ex-stripper who accused US varsity students of rape in 2006 admits she lied

Crystal Mangum, the former exotic dancer who accused three Duke University lacrosse players of rape in 2006, has admitted that she lied about the encounter.

The 46-year-old, who is now in prison serving time for second-degree murder, said she “made up a story that wasn’t true” against the students David Evans, Collin Finnerty, and Reade Seligmann.

“I testified falsely against them by saying that they raped me when they didn’t, and that was wrong,” Mangum said on the web show ‘Let’s Talk with Kat’.

“And I betrayed the trust of a lot of other people who believed in me and made up a story that wasn’t true because I wanted validation from people and not from God and that was wrong when God already loved me for who I was.

“That night Reade Seligmann, Collin Finnerty and Dave Evans, they took me into their home and trusted (me).

“The Bible says that you shouldn’t do harm to your neighbor … and they were my brothers, and they trusted me that I wouldn’t betray their trust.”

Mangum, who is eligible to be released from prison in 2026, told Kat DePasquale, the podcast interviewer, that she hopes they can forgive her.

“I hurt my brothers. I want them to know that I love them and they didn’t deserve it and I hope they can forgive me,” she said.

Kat interviewed Magnum at the North Carolina Correctional Institution for Women, where she is serving time after she was convicted of stabbing her boyfriend in 2013.

The former stripper from Durham and another dancer were hired to perform at a party thrown by Duke lacrosse players on March 13, 2006.

She claimed that three players raped her in blockbuster allegations that went viral then and provoked conversations on sex work, race, and class.

The former Duke players were declared innocent in 2007 after Mangum’s story fell apart under legal scrutiny.