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(NewsNation) — A former member of the boy band Menudo, has alleged that Jose Menendez, the father of Erik and Lyle Menendez, sexually abused him multiple times over several years in different cities and countries, according to journalist Robert Rand.
Rand, executive producer of the docuseries “Menendez + Menudo: Boys Betrayed,” said Monday on NewsNation’s “Banfield” that Roy Rosello’s allegations extend beyond the single incident described in the original Peacock documentary.
“Roy only told us about one time that he was sexually assaulted by Jose Menendez,” Rand said. “And since that documentary, he talked about another time where he was assaulted by Menendez before and after a concert at Radio City. He’s shared with me that these assaults went on for several years in many different places around the world.”
Jose Menendez’s alleged connection to boy band Menudo
Rand described a three-week period in 1985 when Jose Menendez allegedly accompanied Menudo on tour in Brazil, an unusual arrangement for a record label executive.
During this time, Rand said band members “were being dressed in drag and makeup after the shows, they were given drugs and alcohol” and subjected to a system where “if you’re a friend of Edgardo Diaz, the creator and manager, you were allowed to pick your favorite member of the band and take them back to your room.”
“There’s a lot that went on during that tour, and that’s just one tour for three weeks,” Rand said.
Menendez brothers looking for new trial
The revelations come as Erik and Lyle Menendez, convicted of killing their parents in 1989, continue their bid for a new trial. Los Angeles District Attorney Nathan Hochman recently opposed their petition, calling the brothers’ sexual abuse claims “untrustworthy.”
Rosello has criticized Hochman’s stance, stating, “For him, it is ‘untrustworthy,’ but for me it is! I was there. And it was not only once.”
The Menendez brothers, now in their 50s, have spent nearly 30 years in prison. According to family member Tamara Goodell, they have “created careers for themselves” while incarcerated, starting numerous peer support groups and initiatives.
Rand began investigating Jose Menendez’s connection to Menudo in 1993 after repeated mentions from John Peduto, Jose’s former personal assistant, who said his boss was “obsessed with the boy band Menudo and the singer Ricky Martin.”
Rosello may potentially serve as a witness in upcoming habeas corpus petition hearings if Judge William Ryan decides to examine the new evidence more closely.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.