David Ellefson says he'll seek charges over posting of private video that led to his firing from Megadeth

On the heels of Megadeth's announcement on Monday that they were parting ways with David Ellefson, the heavy metal band's founding bassist is speaking out.

The split was in response to allegations that Ellefson sent sexually provocative messages to a fan, allegedly starting when she was underage. Ellefson previously admitted to sharing sexually-tinged messages with a fan but insisted she was an adult at the time.

"Recently, a very private video was illegally posted on the internet and false allegations were made against me," he said in a statement published Wednesday by Rolling Stone. "The actions in the video were between two consenting adults and were recorded without my knowledge."

He continued, "I am working with Scottsdale Police Department in their investigation into charges regarding revenge pornography to be filed against the person who posted this video. Also, my lawyers are preparing a defamation lawsuit to be filed against this person. This person will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law."

A representative from the Scottsdale Police Department tells EW in a statement, "We are aware of the situation but at this time no formal report has been taken."

Ellefson hasn't responded to multiple requests by EW for comment.

Several video clips of Ellefson were circulated on social media by a third party in mid-May followed by allegations that the musician had been grooming a 19-year-old fan since she was 17. (EW was able to review several of the videos.) It's unclear whether the clips were taken from one video or multiple.

In response, Ellefson released a statement of his own via his official Instagram account on May 11 along with a screenshot of a statement he claims was written by the fan for whom he made the videos. Ellefson made his Instagram account private, but EW was able to view the post while it was public.

Someone claiming to be said fan wrote a statement posted on Instagram saying she wasn't underage and all interactions with Ellefson was consensual. (EW was unable to confirm the identity of the person posting, and the account has since been deleted.)

"Dear Fans & Friends, As you may or not know, some private and personal conversations and interactions have surfaced online, released with ill intention by a third party who was not authorized to have them or share them," Ellefson wrote in the Instagram caption alongside a screenshot of a statement reportedly from the fan in question.

"While certainly embarrassing, I want to address it as openly and honestly as possible," the heavy metal musician continued. "As much as it's not something I'm proud of, these were private, adult interactions that were taken out of context and manipulated to inflict maximum damage to my reputation my career, and family."

The screenshot accompanying the musician's comments read: "I'm the girl people are talking about in the posts about David Ellefson right now and I just want to tell my side of the story because people are sharing misinformation and the situation is getting out of hand without the truth being out there. Yes, those video calls did happen, but I was the one to initiate them, and never was I underage, I was always a consenting adult. Nothing inappropriate ever happened before that. It was all consensual, I'm not a victim and I have not been groomed in the slightest as I was the one to initiate it." (EW has not been able to confirm the validity of the post in the screenshot.)

The statement included an admission that the footage was recorded without Ellefson's consent: "I was just naive enough to record him and share it with a friend without his permission. In the end, it was all consensual and all online. I don't know how it got to this point, but a lot of information is being left out by the people purposely trying to harm him. I would ask that anyone sharing these personal private videos or any misinformation about them please stop."

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