Woman who accused Duke lacrosse players of rape in 2006 now admits she lied

The exotic dancer who once accused three Duke University lacrosse players of raping her admitted this week that she invented the 2006 allegations that sparked a searing national debate about gender, race and class.

Crystal Mangum, who is currently in prison for second-degree murder, said she “made up a story that wasn’t true” against former defendants. David Evans, Collin Finnerty And Read Seligmann who “didn’t deserve this”.

“I falsely testified against them saying they raped me when they didn’t and it was wrong,” she told podcaster Kate Katerena. “Let’s talk with Kat” in an interview published this week.

“I betrayed the trust of many other people who believed in me and I 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.”

Mangum and another dancer were hired to perform at a party thrown by Duke lacrosse players on March 13, 2006.

She claimed players raped her amid blockbuster allegations that touched on hot-button topics such as sex work, race and class.

Charges against the players were eventually dropped, but it later emerged that Durham County Prosecutor Mike Nifong had withheld evidence from defense lawyers that could have exonerated the men much earlier. The prosecutor was disbarred in 2007.

“That night, Reade Seligmann, Collin Finnerty and Dave Evans took me to their house and they trusted me,” Mangum said at the North Carolina Correctional Institution for Women.

“The Bible says do no harm to your neighbor…and they were my brothers, and they trusted me not to betray their trust.”

The 46 year old man said she was “looking for validation” when she made up the lies and now hopes former Duke players can one day accept her apology.

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

The apology was too little and too late for Finnerty, 38, who said he has lived under a cloud since 2006 and believes his peer group hasn’t looked at him the same way since.

“It has been 18 years since the incident and it has been difficult for everyone involved,” Finnerty said in a statement to NBC News on Friday. “I hope this time in prison will make her think about the consequences of her actions.”

Mangum was convicted in 2013 for second-degree murder for fatally stabbing her boyfriend Reginald Daye on April 3, 2011. She was sentenced to more than 14 years in prison.

She is scheduled to be released on Feb. 27, 2026, according to North Carolina prison records.

Evans and Seligmann did not immediately respond to phone and email messages seeking comment Friday.