Actor Timothy Busfield Testifies to Grand Jury Claiming Career Damage After Indictment

Timothy Busfield, a 69-year-old Emmy-winning actor, appeared before an Albuquerque grand jury and said the indictment on four counts of criminal sexual contact with a child has effectively ended his career. He asserted that he has been unable to find work, that his agency terminated representation and that projects have been removed, attributing these outcomes to public fear rather than any proven wrongdoing.

Busfield, who was charged in February over alleged inappropriate touching of twin child actors on the set of "The Cleaning Lady," denied any sexual misconduct. He told the 12-member panel that he was never alone with the children, that crew members were present, and that any contact was limited to non-sexual gestures such as tickling.

"My career’s done. I’m canceled. I’ll never work again just based on people’s fear that I would do this again," Busfield said during his two-hour testimony.

He also suggested that the boys’ parents reported him to police as retaliation for being removed from the series, claiming the allegations were motivated by a desire for compensation.

"My children, grandchildren, everybody in my life is done because of these false allegations for money and for revenge," he told the grand jury.

The indictment pertains to one of the two boys. Earlier hospital assessments found no evidence of abuse, and the children initially told police they had not been abused, though later statements to therapists prompted the arrest. Police testimony indicated that three witnesses observed the boys unsupervised, and a detective noted that Busfield initially denied touching the children before acknowledging he had tickled them.

Busfield’s legal team has filed a motion to dismiss the indictment, arguing that prosecutors failed to present a fair case and misexplained the law. A judge is scheduled to consider the request on Aug. 25, with a potential trial slated for next May.