Two high school seniors from a Brooklyn prep school, one of them allegedly the son of a famous musician, were treated to a Cuban trip that included hookers, alcohol and Cuban cigars, according to a new lawsuit.
A 31-page Brooklyn state Supreme Court suit, filed against Poly Prep Country Day School, didn’t name the students, but identified one as the son of a famous musician who “became a generous supporter of the school via his charity concerts.”
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The suit — filed last Thursday by former employee Lisa Della Pietra — alleges the 2012 Cuba trip was brushed aside by a “sham investigation…to protect a ‘high profile’ celebrity parent of a student.”
Numerous outlets have speculated the identity of the “famous musician” is Jon Bon Jovi, who performed numerous shows for the school when his son, Jesse Bongiovi, was a student. The rocker’s son graduated in 2012, and now attends The University of Notre Dame. The 20-year old earned a spot as a walk-on cornerback for the football team before injuring his knee last spring.
Pietra alleges that the Cuba trip, chaperoned by Poly Prep development director Steven Andersen, was not what it appeared. At the time, Anderson said he was traveling to the country to build an exchange program for the school wrestling program. In the suit, Pietra said that Anderson confessed that he was really scouting out an investment opportunity.
The situation got hairier when Andersen’s son, Sebastian, posted pictures on his Instagram page boasting of lighting up cigars in a restaurant, and the two teens “bragged to friends about sleeping with prostitutes, drinking alcohol and smoking Cuban cigars,” Pietra alleged.
The suit continues that Andersen “paid a prostitute to entertain the students as a ‘rite of passage,’ and drank alcohol to excess and smoked Cuban cigars with them.”
Pietra said that when she blew the whistle on the trip, the school informed Andersen, who retaliated with acts of “bullying” and stripping her of job responsibilities.
The school has refuted Pietra’s claim with a letter sent out to parents, labeling her a “disgruntled employee.”
“We believe her claims are without merit and lack any substantive legal foundation,” said the letter, signed by Harmon and Board of Trustees chairman Scott Smith. “Poly Prep intends to defend itself vigorously.”
Billboard reached out to a Bon Jovi rep, who responded, “Since the allegations involve his family, we will not comment.”
This isn’t the first time Poly Prep was targeted for covering up abuse and exploitation of minors. In December 2012, Poly Prep Country Day School settled a landmark lawsuit claiming its longtime football coach Phil Foglietta sexually abused hundreds of boys over a 25-year period.
