A former “manny” for the star – Rusty Updegraff – submitted a damning declaration to a judge in Los Angeles on Friday as part of Mel B's ongoing custody battle with ex Stephen Belafonte – in which he stated that the former Spice Girl is not fit to have custody of her children.
In the explosive papers, obtained by Sun Online, Rusty claims he saw the star “use cocaine pretty regularly” and how she would always ask her to obtain the class A drug for her – even when he was looking after her kids Angel, 11, and Madison, seven.
Shockingly the “manny”, who gave his declaration in support of Belafonte's bid for changed custody arrangements, claims Mel even asked him for coke while she was in hospital -the same day she gave birth to Angel.
“On one occasion, my friends were present and heard Melanie ask me for cocaine. I am not a drug dealer or supplier,” Rusty states in the papers.
“As recently as August 2, 2018, when I was charged by Melanie to drive the children to Palm Springs, to meet with her and her friend, Gary, I was asked by a very drunk and slurring Melanie if I brought cocaine with me.
"I told Melanie, ‘why would you ask me if I brought you coke and where do you think I’m going to get coke?’
“I told Melanie that I was driving her children to her and that I would never even think of bringing cocaine in the car or have cocaine around the children.
“I was deeply offended that Melanie would ask me this. In the last seven months, Melanie has often asked me or friends of mine (in my presence) whether we could provide her with cocaine.
“Back in 2003 and in the years before and after Angel was born, I have known Melanie to use cocaine and have seen her use cocaine….I recall that Melanie asked me if I could get her cocaine when she was in the hospital on the day she gave birth to Angel.”
The papers also allege Mel was physically abusive to her daughter Angel – and she once told Rusty how she “grabbed her, shook her and dug her nails into her”.
The incident allegedly happened during a trip to Palm Springs earlier this month when Mel and Angel began to argue.
"I took Madison and went into another room and told Angel to stop arguing with Melanie," Rusty claim in the court papers.
"At some point, Angel came running into my room, claiming that her mother grabbed her, shook her and dug her nails into her.
"Because of her drinking, Melanie becomes extremely volatile and angry and lashes out at the children. As a result, Madison is often left upset and crying trying to defend her sister or she escapes to her room to protect herself from her mother’s drunken behaviour.
"It’s as if the children are walking on eggshells around their mother."
Rusty alleges she also brings men round for sex – including her daughter’s piano teacher – and even leaves her children unsupervised with the men, according to the court papers, filed at Los Angeles Superior Court.
Often the kids walk in on the former Spice Girl during her sex sessions with the different men, according to the court papers.
One time, Rusty claims a man identified as “Frenchie” went swimming with daughter Madison then took her upstairs tried to shower her – before Rusty intervened.
When Rusty told Mel about the incident she dismissed it and told Rusty “that’s how French people are,” the document alleges.
“I was shocked that Melanie would be so callous when it came to Madison’s safety,” Rusty states.
“On other occasions, Melanie has often asked me and my friends (in my presence) if we can ‘get her’ any guys to be with.
“On another occasion, I received a text message from Melanie at 9:26 a.m. indicating that she just woke up and did not know where the children were and that the children and the French guy were gone.”
A copy of that text message has been submitted to Los Angeles Superior Court as evidence.
According to the testimony, Mel brings so many men to the house – Rusty and the kids even make up funny nicknames for the men – such as “smelly feet”.
“The children are literally exposed to literal strangers that Melanie chooses to bring home to have one-nighters or short term relationships with on a constant basis,” Rusty claims in his declaration.
It adds: “The children and/or I have identified these men my nicknames or their characteristics.
“There was someone from the Soho House we called ‘Smelly Feet’, another named ‘Danny’, another we nicknamed ‘Frenchie’, the Surfer Kid, another named Taylor, another hairdresser, a singer, a driver and the girls’ piano teacher just to name a few.”
The court papers also claim that Mel’s daughters often end up walking in on their mother while she is having sex with different men.
Rusty said he tried to teach seven-year-old Madison to sleep in her bed by setting up a “rewards system” so she wouldn’t have to walk in on her mother anymore.
But he claims Mel would encourage the youngster to sleep in her bed – then kick her out if she wanted to spend the night with a partner.
“At Melanie’s whim, Melanie will often break the rule and have Madison sleep with her in bed. Melanie sleeps in bed naked,” Rusty claims.
“Due to this, Melanie has often had mishaps where the children walk into her room while she is intimate with someone.
“This is one of the main reasons I wanted Madison to learn to sleep in her own bed.
“Madison is therefore confused about the rule of sleeping in her own bed.
“This becomes even more problematic when Melanie decides to bring someone home to her bed, then has to wake Madison up in the middle of her sleep, then bring her to my room or Phoenix’s room if Phoenix is home.
“Madison, then while half asleep becomes upset and keeps trying to go back to Melanie’s room where Melanie literally props chairs up against the door to keep Madison out or is telling me to take Madison away so she can spend the night with whomever.
“Melanie has reprimanded me a few times because Madison walked in or almost walked in while she was in the middle of having sex.”
Rusty accused Mel of being a bad parent – saying that most of the time the children are in the care of someone else – or fend for themselves.
“Melanie does not cook for the children, she does not read to them,” Rusty states.
“The girls do not have TV time with their mother or any quality sober time with her. Tutors
are there to help with homework and I helped too. The piano teacher comes in twice a week. Other than that, the children are in the care of someone else… The children try to fend for themselves when I am not around.
“They know to grab a bag of chips or make Ramen soup from a pre-packaged Ramen bag.
"Sadly, the only time Melanie cares about the children or pays attention to them is to use the children as props or photo opportunities.”
He says Mel leaves the kids for up to two weeks at a time – and even goes on holiday when they are ill.
Other times, Mel asked Rusty to take the kids out so she could “swim naked and do what she wants in the house”, according to the document.
The former employee, who quit his job with Mel earlier this month, added: “there is no sense of family in Melanie’s home” and accuses the star of “using” her kids for photo opportunities.
Rusty also says Mel “has a serious drinking problem” often starting to drink beer at 10am in the morning, before downing wine then moving to vodka, tequila or gin before “she completely passes out”.
She often would send him to the supermarket to buy her 12 bottles of wine, two bottles of vodka and one or two 12-packs of beer, which would be gone in "4-5 days" he claims.
“The children are fully aware of Melanie’s drinking and how her behavior changes when she is drunk,” Rusty states.
“Melanie will become mean and belligerent or she will be completely off the rails in terms of her behavior.
“Melanie slurs her words and speaks incoherently about random topics and subjects and jumps from one story to the next, unable to finish one conversation or one task, jumping from one thing to the next.
“When Melanie passes out or blacks out, she is completely out and cannot be relied on to do anything – whether in the event of an emergency or otherwise.”
Rusty says the America’s Got Talent judge is not fit to have custody of the children – and he is afraid something “bad” will happen if they are left in her care.
“Aside from the obvious alcohol addiction and her addiction to multiple partners that she brings around the children, I truly believe that Melanie is mentally and/or psychologically
unstable and is suffering from some form of mental health issue. I do not believe the children are safe in her custody without supervision or monitoring,” the statement ends.
“I do not believe it is in the children’s best interests to be left in her care.
“Until Melanie gets the help that she needs, the children must be protected. I am afraid that something bad can happen to the children as Melanie continues to drink to the point of passing out or blacking out and is unable to care for the children and with random strangers coming in and out of the house, the children’s safety and well-being are at serious risk.”
Mel is currently engaged in a bitter custody battle with ex-husband Stephen Belafonte, who she split with last March.
Following Friday's declaration, lawyers for Belafonte’s attorney asked for Mel to submit to random drug and alcohol testing plus a "custody evaluation" over Madison.
Sun Online has reached out to representatives for Mel for comment.
Earlier this month Mel claimed she was checking into a clinic after battling issues with alcohol and post-traumatic stress disorder.
She told the Sun on Sunday: "The past six months have been incredibly difficult for me.
"I’ve been working with a writer on my book, Brutally Honest, and it has been unbelievably traumatic reliving an emotionally abusive relationship and confronting so many massive issues in my life.
"I am being very honest about drinking to numb my pain but that is just a way a lot of people mask what is really going on."
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