Fat Joe Accused of Paying for Sex with Minors — Rapper Says Multi-Million Dollar Suit Is Lies and Extortion

Fat Joe has been accused of sexual misconduct in a multi-million lawsuit filed in federal court by his former hype man.

Terrance “T.A.” Dixon claims in a complaint obtained by PEOPLE that the rapper, whose real name is Joseph Cartagena, “engaged in coercive labor exploitation, financial fraud, sexual manipulation, violent intimidation and psychological coercion.”

Dixon also alleges that he witnessed Cartagena have sexual relationships with 15- and 16-year-old children. A specific claim in the complaint alleges that the rapper would provide cash or pay for clothing and the cell phone bill of a 16-year-old girl in exchange for “oral sex and other sexual acts.”

The rapper emphatically denied the allegations in a statement through his attorney Joe Tacopina, calling Dixon’s lawsuit “a blatant act of retaliation.”

“Law enforcement is aware of the extortionate demand at the heart of this scheme,” Tacopina said. “The allegations against Mr. Cartagena are complete fabrications — lies intended to damage his reputation and force a settlement through public pressure. Mr. Cartagena will not be intimidated. We have taken legal action to expose this fraudulent campaign and hold everyone involved accountable.”

In the complaint, Dixon claims Cartagena coerced him into over 4,000 sexual acts over the course of 16 years “to maintain his standing within the Enterprise.”

He also says he was “consistently underpaid, denied songwriting credits, and deliberately concealed from royalties and backend compensation.”

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Further, Dixon claims Cartagena had multiple underage victims, in addition to the 16-year-old. Dixon alleges that one was a 15-year-old when the relationship began and that the rapper paid for a Brazilian Butt Lift for her.

Dixon’s lawsuit comes two months after Cartagena sued the former hype man and his attorney, accusing them of defamation.

Tacopina called the lawsuit filed by Dixon “a desperate attempt to deflect attention from the civil suit we filed first, which exposed their coordinated scheme to extort Mr. Cartagena through lies, threats and manufactured allegations.”