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After a thorough investigation brought about by threat of lawsuits, celebrity photo agency X17online.com finally apologized to NBA star Tony Parker for faking stories about him and another woman. In December 2007, X17online.com claimed Tony Parker met a woman named Alexandra Paressant.
In a series of articles published on its website, X17 claimed Parker met with the woman for sexual liaisons in swanky hotel rooms. The agency backed up its claims by publishing sexually explicit text messages allegedly from Parker to the woman. X17 finally came clean about the fabricated stories in a message on its website today:
- X17online.com and X17, Inc. have discovered that Mr. Parker has never met with, or spoken to, Ms. Paressant nor has he ever had sexual relations with her. X17online.com and X17, Inc. regret having been misled by Ms. Paressant and her representatives and apologize to Mr. Parker for any damage or inconvenience this may have caused him or his wife,” the statement read. (Source)
Let this be a lesson to other websites that fabricate stories about celebrities for profit.
