At least 16 women they have accused the famous magician David Copperfield for misconduct and sexual harassmentas a Guardian investigation reveals.

Most reported that they were teenagers at the time of the harassment.

The famous magician’s lawyers point out that these claims are “not only completely false but also completely improbable”.

“I honest to God I believe I was drugged” the alleged victims of the wizard Copperfield say openly.

More than half of the complaints come from women who said they were under 18 at the time of the incidents. Some said she was only 15 years old, although the wizard may not have known their ages.

The charges against him include allegations that the magician drugged three women before having sex with them so they could not give their consent.

The incidents for which the 67-year-old magician is accused they span from the late 1980s to 2014. The women had come to know him through his work, when Copperfield was one of the most successful entertainers in the world.

Copperfield’s lawyers told the Guardian that he “never acted inappropriately with anyone, let alone any minor”. They said a “true” portrayal of Copperfield would describe “gentleness, shyness and treating men and women with respect”. They also claimed that Copperfield is advocate of the #MeToo movement, encouraging women to come forward and tell their stories. They also added that there had been “many false allegations” against him in the past.

Copperfield has been accused of misconduct in the past. One of the 16 women, Brittney Lewis, came forward in 2018 alleging that he drugged and sexually assaulted her in 1988 when she was 17 and a model. Copperfield denied the allegations, which were published in The Wrap.

Another woman told the Guardian she had a similar experience, claiming she and a friend had been drugged and both were unable to consent before having sex with him.

“I would never have said that to someone if I didn’t truly, honestly believe in God that I was drugged at the time,” said Gillian, who said she agreed to meet Copperfield for a drink in 1993. Copperfield’s lawyers denied them Gillian’s claims.

In four other cases women alleged that Copperfield had fondled or sexually touched them during live performances on stage. All three were teenagers at the time. Three were teenagers at the time of the alleged incidents. The parents of one of the three, who was 15 at the time, saw Copperfield to caress their daughter’s breasts at the time of the show.

Attorneys at Copperfield also deny these allegations.

Similar is the complaint of a then 28-year-old woman, whose Copperfield she pushed her breasts at a show in Las Vegas in 2014. She reported the incident at the casino where the show was being held to the police, but, she says, they did not take her seriously. Ultimately the case for the police was closed due to lack of evidence. Copperfield’s lawyers say the video shows he did not touch her breast at all.

A woman, named Carla (pseudonym), claimed that after meeting Copperfield at one of his concerts in 1991, when she was 15, he began calling her late at night, sending her gifts and tickets to his shows, with herself to say that she was a victim of grooming by the wizard. It wasn’t until she turned 18 that they had consensual sex – a first for Carla. The lawyers do not dispute the relationship, they even say that it lasted four years without anything indecent or suspicions of grooming.

Separately, Copperfield has faced scrutiny because of his relationship with Jeffrey Epstein, the accused child sex trafficker who killed himself in prison in 2019. Copperfield was among the high-profile figures named in court documents related to Epstein, which were unsealed in January. The inclusion of Copperfield’s name does not imply that he committed a crime. According to an affidavit, Copperfield asked a woman — who later turned out to be one of Epstein’s victims — if she “knew girls were being paid to find other girls” for Epstein.

His lawyers told the Guardian Copperfield had heard a “rumour” about it but had “no knowledge or belief that anything inappropriate was going on”. His lawyers also said he saw “no reason to contact law enforcement or raise the matter with others” since the woman he asked raised no concerns. Epstein, his lawyers said, was not someone with whom Copperfield regularly interacted.