A girl from Oklahoma, facing poverty, found herself caught in a disturbing situation, trying to escape a life of homelessness after her mother suffered a serious car accident. At just 14, Audrey Burns started modeling to make some money, not wanting to face the reality of living in a shelter.
Now 29 and a mother of three, she recalls that summer before high school fondly but with a sense of dread. “It was tough,” she mentions. “I just didn’t want to start high school in a shelter.” Unfortunately, fate had other plans when a photographer connected her with James Ridestri from Dutchess County. He quickly pressured her to send him enticing photos, claiming he had bought some of her almost nude shots.
Ridestri, 65, showcased Burns and other girls on his website, Teenstarlet.com. By April 2013, when Burns was only 16, he flew her and her mother to New York for a photo shoot at his home. The first encounter was unsettling—when they arrived, they found the bed littered with bills and a bag from Juicy Couture.
Things took a dark turn. Once they were at his place, Ridestri allegedly assaulted Burns, threatening her about the consequences of her previous photo shoots. “I groaned constantly,” she later stated, recounting how her mother was also mistreated during the ordeal.
As she navigated the online world Ridestri created for her, he forced her to respond to inappropriate messages from adult fans. In her confusion, she recalls, “I didn’t understand what they were saying.” Ridestri encouraged her to send more provocative photos in exchange for money, pushing her deeper into a troubling situation.
Burns eventually had to grapple with the fallout of her actions in high school, where she faced severe bullying. Feeling overwhelmed, she fled the state, distancing herself from Ridestri. Struggling financially, she turned to stripping to survive and still faces the consequences of her past, receiving unwanted contacts from people obsessed with her teenage pictures.
Legal documents reveal that at least two men informed her they possessed troubling content from her childhood, making her reality even more distressing. After making her allegations against Ridestri known, he countered by suing her for damages, claiming he was unaware of her age at the time and that everything on his site was appropriate.
Burns, now wary of social media, has taken steps to protect her oldest child from similar experiences. She continues to produce content out of necessity but struggles with the emotional ramifications of her past. “I feel bad,” she admitted, highlighting the weight of her situation.
In court, Burns requested that the judge dismiss Ridestri’s lawsuit, and her lawyer has positioned her case as a chance to reclaim her narrative. “She deserves justice against this individual,” he emphasized, advocating for her resilience against the hurdles life has thrown at her.
As of now, Ridestri’s attorneys have yet to comment on the case.
