‘Boardwalk Empire’ actor Michael Pitt signals possible plea deal in sexual assault case

Prosecutors say Pitt physically and sexually assaulted his former girlfriend, then instructed her to deny the abuse had occurred in order to protect him.BROOKLYN (CN) — Actor Michael Pitt, who was indicted last year on sexual abuse and strangulation charges, signaled Tuesday that he may seek a plea deal with state prosecutors after failing to get the criminal case against him dismissed.Brooklyn prosecutors accuse Pitt, 45, of physically, sexually and emotionally abusing his ex-girlfriend in a series of shocking incidents that took place between April 2020 and August 2021 at the actor’s home in Bushwick. He’s charged in an indictment unsealed last year with two counts first-degree sexual abuse, criminal sexual acts in the first and third degree, two counts of second-degree assault, two counts of second-degree attempted assault, and strangulation in the second degree.Court documents describe Pitt on several occasions punching the victim, who is not named publicly, engaging in sexual contact against her consent while she said “stop” and “you are hurting me,” strangling her until she began to lose consciousness, and in one instance dropping a cinderblock on her foot.Pitt pleaded not guilty to the nine-count indictment and has been out on a $15,000 bail package since his May 2025 arrest. During a hearing on Tuesday, however, his recently retained attorney signaled to the judge that the “Boardwalk Empire” actor may not head to trial after all.“I made the offer to bring our client to speak with the district attorney under a proffer agreement,” attorney Stephen McCarthy told Judge Abena Darkeh, asking for an October court date to allow time for those talks.Darkeh asked the parties to come prepared to set a trial schedule at the next hearing “if there isn’t a plea offer.”“I take no position on whether there should be a resolution by plea or trial,” Darkeh said. “But on Oct. 20, if the case is not going to be resolved, then I would expect that the parties come prepared with a proposed schedule for any hearings … and a trial date.”McCarthy first appeared for Pitt at a hearing in August, taking the place of the actor’s previous defense attorney, Robert Gottlieb. He provided a handwritten statement to Courthouse News following Tuesday’s proceeding.“Mr. Pitt is being fairly treated [by] both the court and the DA’s office,” McCarthy wrote.In previous proceedings Darkeh denied Pitt’s motion to dismiss two counts from the indictment. In a win for the actor, she allowed him to keep his passport, after Gottlieb argued it had become difficult for him to get work in the U.S.“With all the negative publicly that his arrest has generated, you can understand, he cannot make a living here,” Gottlieb said during a July 2025 bail hearing.Pitt’s former defense attorney also previewed a potential defense strategy, pointing to text messages the victim sent to loved ones claiming that her previous reports of Pitt’s abuse had been fabricated. Prosecutors say Pitt coached the writing of those messages and noted that at least one of the texts in question appeared to be a draft sent to Pitt for his review.“She told many lies to protect him. That’s how you stay alive in an abusive relationship,” Assistant District Attorney Amanda Fisher said at the bail hearing. “These texts are complete evidence of the amount of control he had over her life. He was controlling the narrative she told her family and friends.”Fisher also referenced a video submitted to the court in which she said Pitt menaced his ex-girlfriend with a sledgehammer, telling her: “Don’t pull no Amber Heard bullshit on me or I’ll come after you with this, and you can take me to court.”A representative for the Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office declined to comment on the pending case beyond what has been said in court proceedings.Pitt, whose acting credits include the TV teen drama “Dawson’s Creek” and 2023 film “Reptile,” was also arrested in July 2022 for assault and petty larceny, TMZ reported, after reportedly taking a man’s phone and repeatedly punching him in the head.Two months later, police apprehended him again for throwing objects at people from a rooftop. They took him to the hospital instead of charging him with a crime since he was deemed an emotionally disturbed person.Subscribe to our free newslettersOur weekly newsletter Closing Arguments offers the latest about ongoing trials, major litigation and rulings in courthouses around the U.S. and the world, while the monthly Under the Lights dishes the legal dirt from Hollywood, sports, Big Tech and the arts.Additional Reads