# What ever happened to Tawana Brawley? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 25, 2002, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-ever-happened-to-tawana-brawley/120804 "2002-07-25T18:56:39Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![tarpal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dfb087/32.png) [@tarpal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tarpal)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2002, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-ever-happened-to-tawana-brawley/120804/1 "2002-07-25T18:56:39Z")
So what ever happened with her? Her story about being abducted and raped by white men was proven to be a hoax, especially with the testimony of a neighbor who saw her climb into the trash bag and peek out. Where is she now? Was she ever charged and tried for the crime of making false allegations and giving false info to police officers? And what about race-baiter Al Sharpton? Wasn’t he convicted of something in connection with the hoax? ---
**Author:** ![Boyo\_Jim](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/87869e/32.png) [@Boyo\_Jim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boyo_Jim)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2002, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-ever-happened-to-tawana-brawley/120804/2 "2002-07-25T19:06:10Z")
Don’t know about Tawana, but Al Sharpton walked away from it without charges, I believe. Last I heard heard he was palling around with Michael Jackson, as part of Michael’s “The record industry is racist” campaign. ---
**Author:** ![Sofa\_King](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/58956e/32.png) [@Sofa\_King](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sofa_King)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2002, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-ever-happened-to-tawana-brawley/120804/3 "2002-07-25T19:15:23Z")
That was yesterday’s news, man. This week, the good Reverend is [suing HBO for a cool Billion](http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A53703-2002Jul23.html). ---
**Author:** ![wring](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/838e76/32.png) [@wring](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wring)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2002, 7:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-ever-happened-to-tawana-brawley/120804/4 "2002-07-25T19:16:11Z")
the latest on Al, of course, is contained in [my pit thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=127370) ---
**Author:** ![wring](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/838e76/32.png) [@wring](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wring)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2002, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-ever-happened-to-tawana-brawley/120804/5 "2002-07-25T19:18:43Z")
damn you **Sofa King**! 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Nametag](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nametag/32/406_2.png) [@Nametag](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nametag)\ **Post date:** [July 25, 2002, 7:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-ever-happened-to-tawana-brawley/120804/6 "2002-07-25T19:45:17Z")
[I found this](http://www.courttv.com/legaldocs/newsmakers/tawana/): > [@](#): > > On July 13, 1998, after a trial lasting almost eight months, a jury found [Tawana Brawley’s] three advisors liable for defaming [local prosecutor Steve] Pagones. > > Just over two weeks later, on July 29, the jury awarded Pagones $345,000 in damages, about two percent of the amount he originally sought. Sharpton was found liable for $65,000 of the total damages, Maddox for $95,000 and Mason for $185,000. Malicious prosecution and defamation are torts, not crimes. While there was insufficient evidence to convince a grand jury of Ms. Brawley’s allegations, there was far from enough evidence to accuse her of a crime in turn. ---
**Author:** ![ratatoskK](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ratatoskk/32/2987_2.png) [@ratatoskK](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ratatoskK)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2002, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-ever-happened-to-tawana-brawley/120804/7 "2002-07-26T14:17:25Z")
I recall reading an article, I think during the past year, that said that nobody knew where she was. I probably read it in the NY Times, but I just searched and couldn’t find it. ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [July 26, 2002, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-ever-happened-to-tawana-brawley/120804/8 "2002-07-26T15:20:44Z")
She goes by “Maryam Muhammad” now. See - [Pagones v. Maddux, Mason and Sharpton Tawana Brawley Grand Jury Report](http://www.courttv.com/legaldocs/newsmakers/tawana/) > [@](#): > > THE EVENTS SURROUNDING THE DISAPPEARANCE AND THE DISCOVERY OF TAWANA BRAWLEY > THE ALLEGATIONS OF WHAT WAS DONE TO TAWANA BRAWLEY. > THE EVIDENCE AS TO TAWANA BRAWLEY’S WHEREABOUTS > THE EVIDENCE AS TO TAWANA BRAWLEY’S MEDICAL CONDITION > THE EVIDENCE AS TO A POSSIBLE SEXUAL ASSAULT > THE PSYCHIATRIC EVIDENCE > THE EVIDENCE AS TO TAWANA BRAWLEY’S PHYSICAL APPEARANCE > THE ALLEGATIONS AGAINST STEVEN PAGONES AND OTHERS [Picture here](http://www.80s.com/Icons/Bios/tawana_brawley.html)