Crystal Hefner has alleged that her late husband's collection of scrapbooks containing thousands of lewd photos could contain snaps of 'underage' girls.
The model, who was the third and final wife of Playboy publisher, has said she is 'deeply worried' that the horde of sexually explicit images might soon see the light of day and 'devastate thousands of lives'.
On Tuesday (17 February), she announced she has filed regulatory complaints with the attorneys general of California and Illinois regarding her concerns over how the Hugh M. Hefner Foundation are reportedly handling the scrapbooks.
She is taking action in the hopes of preventing any potential distribution of the images stuffed inside around 3,000 of Hefner's scrapbooks.
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While flanked by her lawyer, Gloria Allred, at a press conference, Crystal claimed she had lost the title of the foundation's president after voicing her worries.
"Unlike me, the people who have custody of these scrapbooks do not have their own naked images in these books," she said. "They are not personally exposed, and they are not personally at risk. The burden and the danger fall entirely on us, the women in these photos."
Hefner's family told LADbible they 'have never seen inappropriate images of minors' among Hefner's collection of photos, as Crystal has claimed.
Crystal alleges that her late husband Hefner, who was 60 years her senior, began compiling images of 'private moments that took place behind closed doors' in various scrapbooks in the 1960s.
The former Playmate, 39, explained that these photos were not published in Hefner's renowned magazine, but were part of his private personal collection.
"The materials span decades, beginning in the 1960s, and may include images of girls who were underage at the time and could not consent to how their images would be retained or controlled," Crystal claimed.
"They may also contain images of women who did not consent to their images being taken in the first place. The scrapbooks include nude images, images taken before and after sexual activity, and other deeply intimate moments.
"They contain intimate material involving women who are now mothers, grandmothers, professionals, and private citizens who have spent decades building their lives with no idea these images were still being hoarded.
"I believe they include women, and possibly girls, who never agreed to lifelong private possession of their naked images, and who have no transparency into where their photos are, how they are being stored, or what will happen to them next."
Crystal, who now buys and sells rental properties, said she is 'deeply worried about these images getting out' and has concerns about the current security around them, while discussing the prospect of them being leaked online.
"Artificial intelligence, deepfakes, digital scanning, online marketplaces, and data breaches mean that once images leave secure custody, the harm is irreversible," she said. "A single security failure could devastate thousands of lives."
She said this is 'not about money', but the protection of those who allegedly feature in the photographs, adding: "I am seeking dignity, safety, and the destruction of nonconsensual intimate materials so that exploitation does not continue under the banner of philanthropy.
"Thousands of women may be affected. This is a civil rights issue. Women’s bodies are not property, not history, and not collectibles.
"And no organisation should be allowed to claim the language of civil rights while denying women their most basic one: the right to control their own bodies and images."
On its website, the Hugh M. Hefner Foundation claims to be 'dedicated to defending civil liberties and rights to promote and advance individual freedoms and freedom of speech'.
Crystal's lawyer, Allred, claimed her client was also concerned about other possessions of Hefner's that the foundation supposedly has, as well as the scrapbooks, such as Hefner's diary.
She alleged that it 'contains highly personal information regarding his sexual exploits, including names of women he slept with, notes describing the sex acts that they performed...and in some instances, even information tracking women’s menstrual cycles'.
Urging officials in California and Illinois to take action, Allred added: "Crystal is especially concerned that these scrapbooks could contain images of minor girls.
"Moreover, Crystal is also concerned that some of the images in the scrapbooks may have been taken without the informed consent of the adult women depicted, such as while they were intoxicated."
Hefner, who died in September 2017 at the age of 91, holds the Guinness World Record for the 'largest collection of personal scrapbooks'.
He earned the honour in August 2010, with the website noting that his haul contained '2,396 unique items' which included 'a variety of personal memorabilia pertaining to 'The Hef', including press cuttings, ticket stubs and other keepsakes'.
Hefner told the Los Angeles Times in 2010 that his scrapbooking hobby was 'a way of inventing a world of his own, in which he was centre stage'.
LADbible Group has contacted the Hugh M. Hefner Foundation for comment.
In a joint statement shared with LADbible, Hefner's sons Marston and Cooper denied suggestions that the scrapbooks contained 'inappropriate images of minors'.
The brothers said: "In response to recent public comments made by Crystal Harris regarding our father, Hugh Hefner, and his scrapbooks, we have personally reviewed these materials extensively over many years, as have numerous historians, filmmakers, and journalists, including those who have both celebrated and critically examined his life’s work.
"Over more than a quarter century of familiarity with these materials, we have never seen inappropriate images of minors, as has been suggested.
"The scrapbooks document decades of personal, professional, and family history. Our father lived much of his life publicly and assembled these materials as a historical record, with the intention that they ultimately be preserved and reviewed in full context, not hidden or concealed.
"We believe claims of this magnitude should be supported by evidence and precision, not implication without proof. We support the preservation of the scrapbooks in partnership with a university or museum, along with responsible public access consistent with his long standing wishes."
Topics: Hugh Hefner, Playboy, US News
Olivia Burke