Earler this week, an unnamed male accuser alleged that Kevin Clash— the man who has long been the voice of "Sesame Street" character "Elmo" — had been having a sexual relationship with him when the accuser was a 16-year-old minor, six years ago.
Clash admitted to a relationship with the accuser, but vehemently denied that the man was underage during the time of the affair.
On Wednesday, the accuser recanted his story, was dropped by his legal representation and both parties declined to comment any further on the story after reported six-figure settlement had been reached.
Up until now, the accuser's identity remained hidden, but The Smoking Gun has just uncovered who, exactly, was trying to take down Elmo.
Meet Sheldon Stephens: "A struggling 24-year-old model/actor who was once arrested for the knifepoint robbery of $250,000 in jewelry from a music manager for whom he interned," according to The Smoking Gun.
A resident of Pennsylvania, it is still unclear how Stephens met Clash, but a source tells TSG he's the kind of guy who "attracts these high-powered men."
According to Stephens' bio on his private Twitter account, he describes himself as an “Entrepreneur, Student, Model, Actor."
His Facebook page’s “About” section states, “I like to consider myself a rare breed. I'm very spontaneous and random…I'm determined and goal oriented. My destiny is laid on a solid gold brick pathway....... MY FUTURE IS BRIGHT and never will it dim.”
Whether his future remains bright or not, Stephens' past holds some dark secrets.
"Court records show that Stephens has been arrested several times since 2009. Last year, Stephens was busted for passing a bad check," reports TSG. "He was also collared last May for reckless driving, and subsequently pleaded guilty to a traffic offense."
But Stephens' most serious criminal charges came in September 2009, when he was arrested at the Harrisburg airport after returning home from a trip to L.A.
According to a criminal complaint, "music manager Darian Pollard contacted the Beverly Hills Police Department to report that Stephens — an intern that he had just fired — had robbed him at knifepoint of a $250,000 'white gold necklace with diamonds' and a 'white gold ring with diamond baguets.'"
A friend of Stephens' says the incident was more of a "misunderstanding" and likened it to a "domestic dispute."
To see Stephens' modeling shots and read more about his past on The Smoking Gun, click here.
SEE ALSO:
Sesame Street's Kevin Clash Cleared Of Underage Sex Allegations After Accuser Recants Story >
12 'Sesame Street' Scandals That Have Plagued The Show's History >
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