A prominent trans activist has been charged with crimes related to financially abusing his parents after reportedly attempting to intimidate them into giving him money and stealing hundreds of dollars from them. Danielle Tatiana Muscato, born David, was booked as a “female” by the Columbia Police Department.
On September 26, a warrant was issued for Muscato’s arrest by the 13th Judicial Court in Boone County, Missouri, on three charges — one count of stealing and two counts of harassment. Notably, the court determined Muscato was an imminent risk to the “victim, community, or another person” and was not likely to appear on a summons. Muscato was booked that same day at the Boone County Jail as a “female” detainee.
According to the prosecution’s complaint against Muscato, he is alleged to have financially abused his parents on three separate occasions this year.
In May, Muscato ambushed his parents while his mother was attending a medical appointment. He live-streamed the interaction to his YouTube channel in a video which is still up on the account.
In the video, Muscato is seen following his parents through a parking lot while playing an electric guitar. His own vehicle is seen plastered with decals reading “
Dr. Muscato Is Abusive,” a reference to his father, who is an Oncologist and one of the founders of the Missouri Cancer Associates in Columbia. Muscato has reportedly created t-shirts, a website, and other merchandise attempting to portray his father as a “child abuser” and “domestic abuser.”
In January on his social media, Muscato advertised he was going to raise funds to perform a “one-woman play” on his father titled “Dr. Muscato Is Abusive: A True Story of Child Abuse, Police Corruption, and Domestic Violence.”
In the livestream, Muscato’s mother retreats to her own vehicle, at which point he stands between her car and another parked vehicle and attempts to speak to her through the window.
According to court documents, just prior to this ambush, Muscato had demanded $10,000 “cash in an envelope” from his mother via text message, threatening her with consequences if she did not comply.
Muscato’s targeting of his parents continued in June, in which two separate incidents were recorded.
On June 6, Muscato again visited his mother while she was at a dentist appointment, threatening to report his father to the FBI for “child porn” he claimed his parents had on “USB drives.” This claim was made in the lobby of the office in front of multiple staff, and left his parents “shaken up” and in emotional distress.
The third incident, occurring between June 9 and June 28, involved Muscato charging over $1,089 to his parents’ account at County Club of Missouri for take-out food by misrepresenting his authorization to use their tab.
According to the police report, Muscato’s parents had changed the locks on their house due to fear he would show up. His father reportedly suffers extreme emotional distress when seeing Muscato in public, and begins to “shake as he is very scared” of what Muscato might do to him. His father also told police that he believes Muscato has access to his email and family scheduling app, as he manages to find them no matter where they are.
In June, Muscato’s parents filed a protective order against him on the basis of adult abuse, and were granted the order shortly after. Muscato reportedly attempted to evade service for the order, but was finally served on July 25.
While in police custody, Muscato was sent to the emergency room at the University Hospital after complaining of chest pain.
From the hospital, Muscato snapped a selfie and uploaded it to social media, claiming he had experienced a “heart attack.”
Muscato was released the next day after posting a $50,000 bond with the strict condition he did not contact the victim or appear at the victim’s residence.
This is not the first time Muscato has been accused of abusive behavior.
In November of 2022, a woman accused Muscato of sexual impropriety, claiming he had “groomed” her in an effort to have her become his sexual partner. In a public statement on Facebook, Sarah An Myers, a writer for
Psychology Today, stated that she had befriended Muscato during a vulnerable moment in her life.
“I was desperate for someone to understand me and I agreed to befriend Danielle under a guise of pro-feminist, progressive, LGBT pride,” she wrote.
“After 1.5 years, Danielle began grooming me as a potential sexual partner. When the third attempt of physical contact was breached (repeated attempts to kiss me goodbye), I cut this person out of my life attempting to rid of the disgust I felt and betrayal of a platonic friend turned into a sexual conquest.”
Myers claims Danielle later attempted to manipulate her into sending him lewd photos and persuade her into entering a sexual relationship with him. She also says that she later discovered other young women had been similarly manipulated by Muscato, who she also claims was writing “books on pedophilia” under a pseudonym.
“There’s so much more but to keep this short, I will point out that this person was using liberal politics to play under the guise of the ‘victimized, traumatized, mentally ill TRANS WOMAN’ and many of us suspect this is entirely a MADE UP AND FALSE GUISE used to gain status and notoriety given their appearances on
NYT, CNN, AND MORE.”
In response to the public statement,
which is still up on Myers’ account, one user said: “I remember you telling about your deep concerns about this person and their motivations and intentions 4/5yrs ago.”
Muscato is well-known for his advocacy on trans rights and Black Lives Matter, though his involvement in civil rights has been ongoing since the Trump presidency. In 2016,
Muscato gained widespread notoriety after “clapping back” at Donald Trump on social media.
Muscato was highly praised for his rants against Trump, which were covered by
NBC,
Mashable,
Huffington Post, and other mainstream news outlets. Despite having a full beard at the time, Muscato identified as a woman and was referred to in the feminine by media.
Muscato is also credited with popularizing the
#RESIST campaign, which became a symbol of resistance to Trump’s presidency, but also Republican policies. In an interview, Muscato stated that the hashtag was “about stopping the erosion of our civil liberties and human rights before it happens—not just actively oppose, but
proactively oppose.” He added: “Waiting until bigotry is codified into law is a mistake, potentially a deadly one.”
Muscato has also been an active member of the atheist community, and, in the past, has gained massive attention for
social media stunts including holding inflammatory billboards in public, inviting individuals to “prove God is real” or “convince me your religion is true.”
He has also spoken at conferences held by Atheists United, and was involved in a campaign to “normalize atheism.”
In 2017,
Muscato came under fire from women’s rights advocates after posting to social media “some women have penises, if you’re bothered by this you can suck my dick.” The statement was made on International Women’s Day.
for braving Facebook to bring us Dave’s lunacy. I hope Joe and Mary are enjoying that patio good and hard. Are Dave’s whineposts getting much engagement, or do you think his FB friends are tuning out from his constant misery?
NOTE: Danielle is now a trans woman who came out after this interview
Creds to the owner, my edit.
