FBI yet to investigate Maddox claims
Allegations Brad Pitt was abusive on a private plane last week relate to the actor’s treatment of his 15-year-old son, sources said on Friday, as the FBI continued to gather information before determining whether to open an investigation.
FBI spokeswoman Laura Eimiller said the agency hasn’t made a decision on a formal investigation into what occurred on a plane ferrying Pitt, his wife Angelina Jolie Pitt and their six children.
Several news outlets have reported that a child welfare agency in Los Angeles is investigating the well-being of the children, who range in ages from 8 to 15.
Sources familiar with the allegations, but not authorised to speak publicly, say the child welfare investigation centres on Pitt’s conduct toward his son Maddox, 15, during an argument on the September 14 flight. No law enforcement agency responded to the plane when it landed in Minnesota after the incident.
Amara Suarez, a spokeswoman for the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services, said the agency could not confirm whether it was investigating Pitt or the well-being of the former couple’s children.
Jolie Pitt filed for divorce on Monday and her lawyer released a statement the following day saying she came to the decision “for the health of the family.” She listed their separation date as September 15, the day after the alleged plane incident, and the actress is seeking sole custody of all six of the children.
Koochiching County, Minnesota, Sheriff Perryn Hedlund said on Thursday that Pitt was on a plane that landed at the International Falls, Minnesota, airport near the Canadian border on September 14.
Hedlund said his sheriff’s deputies were not called to the airport, and International Falls police were also not called.
“There’s no incident whatsoever reported to law enforcement,” Hedlund said.
He said he didn’t know why the plane landed in International Falls, but said it’s not uncommon for hockey players or other celebrities to stop at the airport.
Pitt and Jolie Pitt — known as Brangelina — were together for 12 years but only wed in August 2014. They married privately at their French chateau in the Provence hamlet of Correns with their children serving as ring bearers and throwing flower petals. They announced the ceremony days later. Their six children include 15-yearold Maddox, 12-year-old Pax, 11-year-old Zahara, 10-year-old Shiloh, and 8-year-old twins Knox and Vivienne. BRAD PITT HIRES LANCE SPIEGEL
Actor Brad Pitt has enlisted the help of lawyer Lance Spiegel for his divorce from actress Angelina Jolie.
Pitt has engaged Spiegel, who has earlier represented high-profile celebrities such as Michael Jackson, Eva Longoria, Mike Fleiss, Russell Simmons, Heather Locklear and even Charlie Sheen.
The news comes after previous reports explaining that Pitt was questioned by the Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) in Los Angeles County about allegations that he was involved in an incident with a child on a private plane travelling from Europe to L.A.
Law enforcement sources have said that the investigation is being looked into by only DCFS and not the Federal Bureau of Investigation or Los Angeles Police Department as some outlets have claimed.
Jolie filed for divorce from Pitt on Monday, after being together for more than a decade. — Pitt and children Pax, Shiloh and Maddox. Pitt is under investigation for child abuse. —AP