Lil Tay's Dad Hits Back At 'completely False' Allegation That He Faked His Daughter's Death

The Instagram account for YouTuber Lil Tay slammed her father, Christopher Hope, as an "abusive racist" who faked her death, but he's fighting back on the allegations made on the account Tuesday.

"The person who is responsible for that Instagram post, as well as anyone repeating the completely false and libelous accusation within it, are virtually certain to become defendants in a defamation lawsuit," the Canada-based attorney told TMZ in a statement.

"Everything stated is 100% false, and I trust that this should be obvious to anyone who knows me or the long history of absurd and untrue statements made by the various people who have controlled the Instagram account."

Page Six has reached out to Tay's reps for comment but did not immediately hear back.

The Instagram post, which also accused Hope of being a "misogynistic woman beating father," is still online as of Tuesday afternoon, as well as a second post of a closed passport book being held by a hand with black fake nails.

It is unclear if Tay or another individual who runs the account is behind the defamatory post.

Lil Tay's father, Christopher Hope, denied that he faked his daughter's death back in August.Christopher John Hope/facebook The post also called Hope an "abusive racist misogynistic woman beating father."Instagram/liltay The account also posted a photo of a passport and a hand later in the day on Tuesday.

There has been a lot of speculation surrounding the life of social media sensation, whose real name is Claire Hope, ever since she was declared dead at 14 in early August.

A post on her Instagram account read at the time, "We have no words to express the unbearable loss and indescribably [sic] pain. This outcome was entirely unexpected, and has left us all in shock.

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"Her bother's passing adds an even more unimaginable depth to our grief. During this time of immense sorrow, we kindly ask for privacy as we grieve this overwhelming loss, as the circumstances surrounding Claire and her brother's passing are still under investigation."

The statement concluded, "Claire will forever remain in our hearts, her absence leaving an irreplaceable void that will be felt by all who knew and loved her."

An Aug. 9 Instagram post claimed Tay had died at age 14.TikTok/theharryvoice

As the hours passed, fans grew concerned about what may have lead to the siblings' alleged deaths since Tay's brother, Jason Tian, had previously claimed that his sister was a victim of child abuse.

In an April 2021 GoFundMe titled "Save Tay From a Life of Abuse," he said their father, Chris, was "fighting to permanently gain control of [Tay's] career as well as custody over her. 

"My sister Tay has been silent on social media for the past 3 years because her absentee father (Chris Hope) served my mother a court order demanding control over Tay's money, career, and custody, and as a result it was court ordered that my sister had to return to Vancouver, Canada."

Tay and her brother, Jason Tian, accused Hope of being abusive years ago.Christopher John Hope/facebook

He also claimed the lawyer sent his daughter to school with "moldy bread, moldy chicken with little maggots and parasites coming out of it, one month old pizza, leftover soggy white bread with ketchup, cold burnt toast hard as a rock, and sometimes only crackers" for lunch.

Tay herself made similar claims in an interview with the Daily Beast in 2018. However, Chris denied the allegations via a spokesperson at the time.

"There are only three things he wants to see. First, no more crazy videos of cursing from Tay. Second, 25 percent of the gross earnings going to a trust fund dedicated to Tay. The third thing is, there has to be structure in her operation, in her public image," Charles Wong told the Daily Beast.

A GoFundMe accusing Hope of abuse showed photos of Tay with red marks all over her face.Instagram/liltay

Despite the family's history of turmoil, Tay's alleged former manager cast doubt on the validity of the death announcement since its onset.

"One thing I would question is who posted that statement and why isn't it signed by anyone from the family," the person, who asked to remain anonymous, told the Sun at the time.

"Why is it not signed, 'This is Tay's mom,' or 'This is the dad of Lil Tay,' or from an official representative? Why is there no attachment?"

A day later, Tay told TMZ that she was very much alive and that her death had indeed been a hoax.

Tay claimed a "third party" hacked her Instagram account when she was declared dead.

"I want to make it clear that my brother and I are safe and alive, but I'm completely heartbroken, and struggling to even find the right words to say," the teen previously told the outlet.

"It's been a very traumatizing 24 hours. All day yesterday, I was bombarded with endless heartbreaking and tearful phone calls from loved ones all while trying to sort out this mess."

She also claimed at the time that her Instagram account had been "compromised by a 3rd party."

Tay is a YouTube sensation and has 4.5 million followers on Instagram.

However, Tay's former manager, Harry Tsang, was not buying the hacking claims.

"I think she's still alive, and I think it was fake," he told previously The New York Post.

"I don't believe anything that they say about the hacking. I'm glad that she's OK."

Ex-Goldman Analyst Charged With Insider Trading, Allegedly Tipped Off Friends

A former analyst at Goldman Sachs was charged with leaking insider information about mergers and acquisitions to his friends — who then allegedly used the tips to make stock purchases that netted them nearly $500,000, federal prosecutors in Manhattan said Thursday.

Anthony Viggiano, 26, of Baldwin, LI, worked as an associate at Goldman's asset and wealth management division after a stint at Blackstone, according to Bloomberg News.

He and three others have been charged with securities fraud.

The indictment does not specify which firms employed Viggiano, but sources familiar with the investigation told Bloomberg News that he worked at Goldman from February of last year until July of this year.

Prior to working for Goldman, Viggiano quit his job at investment banking giant Blackstone after the company learned he had been trading without pre-clearance, according to Bloomberg News.

A Goldman Sachs spokesperson told The Post: "The allegations in the indictment are egregious."

Anthony Viggiano, 26, of Baldwin, LI, worked as an associate at Goldman's asset and wealth management division.REUTERS

"The firm has zero tolerance for this kind of behavior, which violates our standard of conduct and our business principles," the spokesperson said.

"We continue to fully cooperate with the government on this matter."

A Blackstone spokesperson told The Post: "We make crystal clear to every employee through our extensive compliance and training procedures that we have absolutely zero tolerance for the behavior alleged, and we are fully cooperating with the authorities."

"This individual (Viggiano) was a junior analyst in a non-investment, finance function who was briefly employed for less than seven months and left two years ago," the Blackstone spokesperson said.

According to the indictment, Viggiano used "material nonpublic information" he learned by virtue of his positions at Blackstone and Goldman to enrich himself and his friends.

Prior to working for Goldman, Viggiano quit his job at investment banking giant Blackstone after the company learned he had been trading without pre-clearance.ZUMAPRESS.Com

Viggiano allegedly provided tips to Stephen Forlano, 27, a college buddy living in Tampa, according to the indictment.

Forlano, an analyst at a real estate firm, allegedly made stock purchases which netted him $114,000 based on confidential information he received from Viggiano, according to the indictment.

Viggiano also fed insider tips to Christopher Salamone, 35, of Long Beach, LI, according to the indictment.

The two "grew up on the same block" and "have known one another for 20 years," according to the indictment.

Salamone's mother and Viggiano's father are said to be dating, the indictment alleges.

Viggiano and three others face years in prison if convicted of the charges laid out by the Securities and Exchange Commission.REUTERS

Salomone has pleaded guilty and is cooperating with investigators, according to the Justice Department.

According to court filings, Salamone allegedly pocketed around $322,000 from stock purchases made based on insider information he received from Viggiano.

Nathan Bleckley, a 26-year-old US Army captain who is also a college friend of Viggiano's, is also alleged to have netted $25,000 after making stock trades based on illegal tips, according to court filings.

Viggiano, Salamone, Bleckley, and Forlano were not immediately available for comment.

If convicted, they face up to 20 years in federal prison.

Lil Tay's Father Slams 'Completely False' Rumors That He Faked His Daughter's Death

Image Credit: YouTube

Lil Tay's father spoke out after the 14-year-old YouTuber's Instagram account claimed that he faked her death. Christopher Hope gave a statement to TMZ on September 26 and denied that he was involved in the false announcement that Tay died in August.

"The person who is responsible for that Instagram post, as well as anyone repeating the completely false and libelous accusation within it, are virtually certain to become defendants in a defamation lawsuit," Christopher's statement read. "Everything stated is 100% false, and I trust that this should be obvious to anyone who knows me or the long history of absurd and untrue statements made by the various people who have controlled the Instagram account," he added.

On Tay's Instagram Story, there is a picture of Christopher that reads, "My abusive racist misogynistic woman beating father faked my death." A second post shows somebody's hands (seemingly Tay's) on a passport. Tay has not independently spoken out about the latest accusations against her father.

(Photo: Instagram)

In August, Tay's family confirmed that she was alive after her social media account got hacked and reported that she had allegedly died. "I want to make it clear that my brother and I are safe and alive, but I'm completely heartbroken, and struggling to even find the right words to say," she told TMZ via her family on Aug. 10. "It's been a very traumatizing 24 hours. All day yesterday, I was bombarded with endless heartbreaking and tearful phone calls from loved ones all while trying to sort out this mess."

(Photo: Instagram)

Amidst the death hoax drama, Lil Tay's parents carried on their custody battle over the 14-year-old. Her mom, Angela Tian, told TMZ via her legal team that Christopher has been ordered to pay $275K in "retroactive child support," which dates back to 2014. Christopher also has to keep paying for child support and "additional expenses," Angela's representatives said. The legal team decided that Tay's mom will solely be in charge of all decision-making regarding her daughter.

"I have been financially ruined fighting for my daughter's rights and freedom which should have never been taken away to begin with," Angela told TMZ. "We have won our case in court and my children and I can finally move on from this nightmare. My daughter can pursue and achieve her dreams on her own terms, and we are finally a happy family again, together."

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