Ex-Elmo puppeteer Kevin Clash faces new allegations of sex abuse, drug use

NEW YORK (AP) — The former voice of the “Sesame Street” character Elmo is being sued by a man who claims the entertainer lured him into drug-fueled sex when he was 16.

Sheldon Stephens, who’s now 24, says he met Kevin Clash at a networking event. He says he was brought by limousine from Pennsylvania to a New York apartment. There, Clash allegedly smoked crystal meth while giving the teenager another recreational drug.

Stephens first made the allegations last year, but recanted after failed efforts to reach a settlement. He renewed the accusations in a lawsuit filed Monday in federal court in Pennsylvania.

Clash’s attorney Michael Berger says his client denies any wrongdoing. He says Stephens already admitted he had an adult consensual relationship with Clash.

Three other men also are suing Clash, alleging underage sex.