‘Bachelorette’ Contestant Lincoln Adim Convicted Of Indecent Assault & Battery; Producers Deny Any Knowledge

UPDATED with statement from The Bachelorette producer Warner Bros: The Bachelorette contestant Lincoln Adim was convicted of indecent assault and battery last month in upstate New York, a week before he appeared on the Season 14 premiere on ABC. Adim has yet to be eliminated from Becca Kufrin’s lineup of eligible bachelors and remains on the show.

“Mr. Adim was found guilty on May 21 of indecent assault and battery for groping and assaulting an adult female on a harbor cruise ship early on May 30, 2016,” Jake Wark of the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office told media outlets in a statement.

“No one on the Bachelorette production had any knowledge about the incident or charges when Lincoln Adim was cast, and he himself denied ever having engaged in or been charged with any sexual misconduct,” The Bachelorette producer Warner Bros said in a statement to Deadline. “We employ a well-respected and highly experienced third party who has done thousands of background checks consistent with industry standards to do a nationwide background check in this case. The report we received did not reference any incident or charge relating to the recent conviction – or any other charges relating to sexual misconduct. We are currently investigating why the report did not contain this information, which we will share when we have it.”

Adim was sentenced to one year in a house of correction, with that term suspended for a two-year probationary period, the DA’s statement continued. The judge ordered him to stay away from the victim and attend three Alcoholics Anonymous meetings per week during those two years. If he complies with the judge’s orders, he will not have to serve out his term, but if he fails to comply with those orders or re-offends, he could be ordered to serve out the year behind bars, according to the statement.

ABC said it does not comment on production-related inquiries and referred the request to WB when reached by Deadline.

Adim’s conviction and sentencing was first reported by the Reality Steve website.

This is not the first time controversy has touched The Bachelor franchise. Warner Bros. temporarily halted production last year on Bachelor in Paradise due to what the studio called an “allegation of misconduct” involving two of the contestants. Production resumed after WB completed an investigation and found no evidence to support the misconduct allegation.