In 2006, Crystal Mangum claimed three Duke lacrosse players raped her at a party. Almost two decades later, she admitted to making up the story.

At the time, Mangum was an exotic dancer who had been hired to perform at an off-campus Duke lacrosse team party on March 13, 2006. She initially told police that she was trapped and raped, sodomized and beaten for 30 minutes in a bathroom in the early morning hours of March 14, local media outlet WRAL reported, citing court documents.

According to their claims, Duke lacrosse players Reade Seligmann, Collin Finnerty and David Evans were falsely accused of multiple crimes, including rape, sparking a national scandal after no DNA evidence linked them to the crime. The charges were eventually dropped and the men were acquitted in April 2007.

During a December 12 episode of the web show Let’s talk to KatMangum publicly admitted for the first time that she had “made up a story that wasn’t true.”

“I falsely testified against them by saying they raped me when they didn’t, and that was false,” she said. “And I betrayed the trust of many other people who believed in me… I wanted confirmation from people and not from God.”

From Crystal Mangum’s recent admission to the state of falsely accused players today, here’s a look back at the 2006 Duke lacrosse scandal that shocked the nation.

Who is Crystal Mangum?

Crystal Mangum was a 28-year-old student at North Carolina Central University at the time of the scandal in 2006. Outside of her studies, she worked as an exotic dancer and was hired to perform at an off-campus house party.

She claimed she was raped that night by three Duke lacrosse players and stuck to her story (albeit varying accounts) for years, only to admit in late 2024 that she had falsified the allegations.

According to CNN, Mangum is currently serving a prison sentence for second-degree murder from 2013 for stabbing her boyfriend. She was sentenced to at least 14 years in prison Duke Chronicle.

The outlet reported that Mangum fatally stabbed Reginald Daye during an argument at his home. She said she acted in self-defense and claimed her boyfriend hit, knocked down and choked her. When she testified in her own defense, Mangum insisted she had not intended to kill him.

Who are the Duke lacrosse players?

The Duke lacrosse players Mangum accused of rape in 2006 were Reade Seligmann, Collin Finnerty and David Evans, who were 20, 19 and 23, respectively, at the time. Accordingly Vanity Fairthey were three of the four co-captains on the Duke men’s lacrosse team.

What were the Duke lacrosse players accused of?

Seligmann, Finnerty and Evans were accused of raping Mangum during an off-campus party in March 2006. Mangum and another woman, both of whom were exotic dancers at the time, were reportedly hired to perform at the party for $400 each.

Mangum claimed that about 40 men (some of whom were allegedly abusive) were present, prompting her and the other dancer to quickly leave. However, Mangum was persuaded to return, claiming that when she got back to the house she was dragged into the bathroom and attacked by three men.

According to a police report, “She attempted to leave, but the three men forcibly held her legs and arms and sexually assaulted her.”

What were the Duke lacrosse players accused of?

After Mangum accused the three men of sexual assault, Seligmann, Finnerty and Evans were each charged with multiple crimes, including rape.

Prosecutors said a rape kit later revealed that Mangum had been raped and sodomized, and police found her broken fingernails, cellphone and a shoe in the house just two days after the alleged incident. However, there was no DNA evidence to suggest that any of the three men accused of attacking her were linked.

During a court appearance in 2006, Evans declared, “I’m innocent.”

He continued: “You all have been told some fantastic lies and I look forward to watching them unravel in the coming weeks.”

Was there a process?

Although charges were brought against her after the incident, there was ultimately no trial.

Seligmann, Finnerty and Evans were acquitted of the charges in April 2007 – a year after the alleged attack – after the state’s then-Attorney General Roy Cooper (who took over the case in January of that year) reviewed the case and stated that The charges were never filed, according to CNN, and should have been brought against her.

Cooper – who is currently governor of North Carolina – then turned his attention to Attorney General Mike Nifong, whom Cooper once called a “villain.”

Nifong reportedly concealed the disclosure that the DNA did not match the three defendants and, as Cooper said, “continued unhindered.” According to the Duke ChronicleNifong was later disbarred for perjury and breach of professional conduct.

After their case was dismissed, Seligmann, Finnerty and Evans sued the university and former university president Richard Brodhead, alleging that he repeatedly made false statements and conspired to deprive them of their right to a fair trial Duke Chronicle. Duke University and the three lacrosse players later reached an undisclosed settlement. (However, Vanity Fair stated it was $20 million.)

The three men also sued the city of Durham in a case that exposed flaws in Durham’s criminal justice system Charlotte Observer. The case was ultimately settled and the city of Durham agreed to provide a $50,000 grant to the North Carolina Innocence Inquiry Commission, according to the outlet.

The Associated Press also reported that Mangum’s mental stability was questioned after the case was dropped. Per Duke ChronicleCooper did not charge Mangum with perjury, saying investigators thought “she may have actually believed the many different stories she told.”

What did Crystal Mangum say about her false accusations?

In December 2024 Let’s talk to Kat In the episode, recorded Nov. 13 at the North Carolina Correctional Institution for Women, Mangum explained that she has no regrets and “everything happens to get everyone to the point where they are.”

“It’s all to show God’s love and forgiveness,” she added, before admitting in 2006 that she had made up the rape allegations.

“That night, Reade Seligmann, Collin Finnerty and Dave Evans took me into their home and confided. The Bible says that you should not harm your neighbor who lives next to you in trust, and they were my brothers and they trusted that I would not betray their trust,” she said.

Mangum continued that she “made up a story that wasn’t true because I wanted validation from people and not from God, and that was wrong even though God already loved me the way I was.”

“I didn’t need to get confirmation from him because I already had it, I just didn’t know and I hurt my brothers,” she added.

Mangum asked for forgiveness from Seligmann, Finnerty and Evans, saying, “I want them to know that I love them and they don’t deserve this and I hope they can forgive me.”

“They don’t deserve this,” she concluded.

However, despite Mangum’s admission, Mangum probably can no longer be prosecuted for perjury because the statute of limitations for perjury charges in North Carolina is typically two years.

Where are the Duke lacrosse players now?

According to LinkedIn, Seligmann transferred to Brown University in 2007 and completed his bachelor’s degree in 2010. He then received his Juris Doctor from Emory University School of Law in 2013. The former lacrosse player has been working as a senior associate at Alston & Bird since November 2016.

Meanwhile, Evans graduated from Duke University and then earned his Master of Business Administration from the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, according to his LinkedIn account. He joined Apax Digital in 2009, where he focused on growth equity and buyout investments, and has worked as a partner since then, according to his profile.

Finnerty left Duke after the incident and lived at home with his family in Garden City, NY, for a year, according to ESPN. In 2008, he enrolled at Loyola University Maryland and continued playing lacrosse.

If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, please call the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or go to rainn.org.