Disney Music Executive Charged With Child Sex Abuse

Disney have suspended their Director of Music publishing, Jon Heely, 58, of Santa Clarita, after he has been charged with three felony counts of child sexual abuse. He allegedly victimised the first girl when she was 15. According to the charges, he began abusing the second when she was about 11 years old and continued until she was 15.

He has been working with Disney since 1981, where he dealt with licensing music from Disney films, as well as producing a series of Disney concerts around the world, such as “Fantasia Live in Concert”.

Disney issued a statement to Variety saying:

“Immediately upon learning of this situation tonight, he has been suspended without pay until the matter is resolved by the courts,”

Jon Heely was arrested on November 16th by deputies from the Santa Clarita station of the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department and he was later released on $150,000 bail. This past Wednesday, prosecutors charged him with three counts of lewd and lascivious acts on a child. Jon Heely has pleaded not guilty at his arraignment at the San Fernando courthouse on Thursday. He is due back in court on January 10th. If he is convicted, he will be facing up to nine years and three months in prison.

Robert Helfend, who is Jon Heely’s attorney stated:

“He vehemently denies these allegations and we will be fighting until the end to clear his name.  It’s a shame, that’s all I’ve got to say.”