Lawyers for Timothy Busfield, the Emmy Award-winning actor and director, have made a court filing claiming that the parents of the minor children accusing him of sexual abuse have a "history of fraud and dishonesty". This claim is part of an effort to secure Busfield's release while he awaits trial on child sex abuse charges in New Mexico. Busfield, known for his roles in "The West Wing," "Field of Dreams," and "Thirtysomething," surrendered to Albuquerque police on Tuesday, January 13, and faces two counts of criminal sexual contact of a minor and one count of child abuse.
In a court filing submitted on Friday, January 16, Busfield's legal team argued against the state's motion for pretrial detention, asserting that the parents of the accusers, Angele LaSalle and Ronald Rodis, have "extraordinarily checkered" pasts. The filing further alleges a history of "disturbing" fraud and scamming. The lawyers also claim LaSalle was previously heard saying she would "get her revenge against Tim Busfield".
Busfield's attorneys are arguing that an independent investigation undermines the state's allegations, and that Busfield passed a polygraph test. They also state that the allegations against Busfield surfaced only after the twins lost their roles on "The Cleaning Lady", a FOX series he directed, suggesting a financial and retaliatory motive. They claim the boys were recast in 2024. According to the attorneys, the investigation by Warner Bros. found the allegations to be unfounded, a detail they say prosecutors omitted from their criminal complaint.
The court filings detail the alleged history of fraud by both parents. The legal team is targeting Rodis, describing him as a former attorney who was disbarred following a conviction for federal conspiracy and wire fraud related to a multi-million-dollar scheme. They claim Rodis used his law license to deceive vulnerable victims for profit and has a "willingness to manipulate narratives when money is at stake," further alleging that he is "leveraging a crisis to generate personal financial gain". The filing also alleges that LaSalle was sued for "various claims including fraud, conversion, and fraudulent transfer,” including allegedly unlawfully repossessing a Bentley car after selling it and writing bad checks to Las Vegas casinos.
The criminal complaint alleges that Busfield touched one of the twins on private areas over his clothing on one occasion when he was seven years old and another time when he was eight. The twin brother reported being touched by Busfield as well but did not specify where, stating he didn't say anything because he didn't want to get in trouble.
Busfield has denied all charges, asserting in a video shared before turning himself in that the allegations are lies and that he intends to "confront these lies" and "fight". A judge is scheduled to hold a detention hearing on Tuesday to determine whether Busfield will remain in jail.
