Popsquire

For today’s television collision between pop culture and law, Gossip Girl revealed an Anne Hathaway-esque story line on last night’s episode.

Serena’s new boyfriend, Gabriel, is duping the upper east siders out of their money with a fraudulent investment scheme.  Chuck and Blair were on to his evil ways, but Serena didn’t believe them.  By the time she came around, Dan already had given Gabriel more than $100,000.

It looks like Gabriel is eating his cake and everyone else’s, too.

xoxo.  Popsquire.

Technorati Tags: anne hathaway, armie hammer, fraud, gabriel, gossip girl, investment, pop culture law, serena's new boyfriend

Bernard Madoff admitted in court today that he operated a ponzi scheme and pleaded guilty to 11 criminal charges. On behalf of the other celebrity victims (who may be vacationing in Anguilla), Kevin Bacon responded as follows:

Technorati Tags: bernard madoff pleads guilty, criminal charges, kevin bacon, ponzi scheme, pop culture law, securities fraud, steven spielberg

Thursday may bring some happiness to Steven Spielberg, Jeffrey Katzenberg, and Kevin Bacon.

Not only is Bernard Madoff expected to plead guilty to 11 criminal charges related to the largest Ponzi scheme in U.S. history, but these celebs/Madoff victims also may have a place to celebrate.  Assuming they have some money left, these celebs can book a room at Kamique, an Anguilla resort, offering a “Madoff Special” on its resort villas for Madoff victims who can prove their losses.  Seriously.  Click here for details.

[Mark Dye / PR Photos]

Technorati Tags: anguilla madoff special discount, anguilla resort, bernie madoff, celebrity victims madoff, jeffrey katzenberg, kamique, kevin bacon, madoff scandal, plead guilty, pop culture law, steven spielberg

Richard Dreyfuss filed a lawsuit on Friday against his dad and uncle for allegedly failing to pay back a $870,000 loan.   According to E! Online, Dreyfuss says he gave his family the good faith loan in 1984 to bail them out of trouble involving an office building in downtown Los Angeles.  Now, Dreyfuss claims he hasn’t received a dime from them since and his uncle is refusing to turn over financial records.

This seems odd.  If he hadn’t been receiving payments since 1984, he should have acted sooner.  In fact, the lawsuit may be barred by the applicable statute of limitations.  Popsquire will get to the bottom of this one, so stick around!

Technorati Tags: breach of contract, debt, family, fraud, gilbert dreyfuss, loan, money, norman dreyfuss, pop culture law, richard dreyfuss

Courtesy: KUAM-TV

While serving his 25-year sentence for fraud and conspiracy crimes, former Backstreet Boys manager Lou Pearlman has found a way to keep busy. According to the Orlando Sentinel, Pearlman is providing evidence to police that may help the prosecutors convict Davin Smith, who is accused of killing of off-duty Orlando police officer Alfred Gordon.

Pearlman says that he heard Smith talk to another inmate, allegedly admitting:

1. On the morning Gordon was shot, Smith and his accomplice robbed another man’s ATM card but couldn’t get money out of the machine.
2. Frustrated, they saw Gordon sitting in the bank parking lot and decided to rob him.
3. When Gordon reached for his weapon, Smith shot him.
4. Smith and the accomplice didn’t know Gordon was a cop.

Popsquire’s perspective…

These statements may be very helpful to the prosecution. Although out-of-court statements generally are considered hearsay, these statements appear to be admissions by the defendant, which can help prosecutors maneuver around hearsay objections.

And, of course, Pearlman may benefit from this as well. His attorney, Fletcher Peacock, already has said that he will tell the judge about Pearlman’s “very valuable and relevant” help in the Gordon murder investigation as part of a future request for a sentence reduction.

Technorati Tags: alfred gordon, backstreet boys, conspiracy, davin smith, fletcher peacock, fraud, law, lou pearlman, manager, n sync, pop culture

Country singer, Mindy McCready, was arrested on Monday for a probation violation in Tennessee. According to TMZ, she allegedly falsified her community service report, turned herself into the local Tennessee on Monday night, and posted bail two hours later.

Popsquire’s perspective…

Violating probation is a serious matter. People get probation and community service, in part, because the court system has faith that the combination of the two can help rehabilitate criminals. By violating probation — and doing so by falsifying a community service report — McCready is just asking for jail time.

Of course, the so-called “falsification” could be a simple error. We’ve all made typos before, right? Well, not Popsquire, of course!

In case you don’t have a clue who Mindy is, here is her music video for “All I Want Is Everything.”

Technorati Tags: arrest, community service, country music, falsify, law, mindy mccready, pop culture, probation

Anne Hathaway’s ex-boyfriend, Raffaello Follieri, was arraigned and charged today in Federal Court with six counts of wire fraud and five counts of money laundering.

Among other things described in this court document, Follieri allegedly duped investors into believing that the Vatican appointed him to manage its affairs and, as a result, he claimed that he could purchase Vatican properties at a cheap price.

Now, there’s nothing cheap about his bail! Even if he can post the $21 million in bail, he will remain “home-restricted by an electronic monitoring device and will only be let out for legal, medical, and religious reasons, and only on the island of Manhattan,” according to TMZ.

He’s expected back in court on July 9 for a pre-trial hearing.

Popsquire’s perspective…

Many Popsquire fans are asking what will happen to Anne…

At this point, it seems unlikely that she will be charged with any crimes. If the government had any evidence that she was involved, it likely would have come out already. Plus, she resigned from the Board of Directors of Follieri’s company a while back.

We can, however, expect that she may be called as a witness — or at least interviewed as part of any ongoing investigation — to the extent she has any knowledge.

Anne better learn to Get Smart out the boyfriends she chooses!

Technorati Tags: anne hathaway, federal court, law, money laundering, pop culture, raffaelo follieri, vatican, wire fraud

You better pick the right mate, or you might be making a jail date!

Exhibit A: Amy Winehouse.

After more than seven months in jail, Amy’s husband Blake Fiedler-Civil has pleaded guilty to roughing up a bartender and trying to cover it up. Blake has been in jail almost the entire year that he and Amy have been married.

Exhibit B: Anne Hathaway.

Anne’s boyfriend, Raffaelo Follieri, was arrested back in April for writing a bad check worth $250,000. Although the misdemeanor charges were dropped, Raffaello is back in the news.

Now, according to the NY Post, The Follieri Foundation — a children’s charity run by Raffaelo — is being investigated by the State Attorney General’s office. Although the AG’s office hasn’t confirmed the subject matter, the investigation followed a discovery that the foundation might have failed to file tax-disclosure forms required of nonprofit groups.

Some girls just love a bad boy. Maybe they should try for a “Father Figure” instead!

Technorati Tags: amy winehouse, anne hathaway, battery, blake fielder-civil, children's charity, jail, law, pop culture, raffaelo follieri, white collar crime

According to Jossip, lawyers are getting involved in the ET/Brangelina faux birth controversy. As you likely know, ET falsely reported that Angelina Jolie gave birth last week.

Now, the lawyers at Lavely & Singer — a well known Los Angeles boutique entertainment law firm — reportedly are circulating a letter to various media outlets warning of an impostor who’s been dishing out erroneous info under the guise of Jolie’s longtime assistant, Holly Goline.

Holy-Talented-Mr.-Ripley! This is a fascinating plot development and, of course, a huge collision between pop culture and law. If this impostor is caught, Popsquire can easily draft a lawsuit alleging several claims, including defamation, invasion of privacy, fraud, and misrepresentation, among others!

Technorati Tags: angelina jolie, brad pitt, brangelina, entertainment tonight, impostor, law, pop culture, twins

Popsquire loves a good update! In this March post, you learned that the former Backstreet Boys manager, Lou Pearlman, reached a plea deal in his federal bank fraud case. He was accused of defrauding banks and investors — including family, friends, and BBS — out of more than $300 million.

Today, according to E!online, the judge sentenced Pearlman to 25 years in federal prison. But, get this — the judge told Pearlman that his sentence can be reduced by one month for every $1 million he recovers. Translation: Pearlman can skip 300 months in prison if he can come up with the entire $300 million!

Talk about creative sentencing! Let’s hope he can give some of it back, because people have “Bills, Bills, Bills” to pay.

Technorati Tags: backstreet boys, eonline, federal prison, fraud, lous pearlman, sentencing

Although appearing in the infamous 2006 Heath Ledger drug video, a woman has filed a lawsuit as “Jane Doe” against the men who filmed and distributed the footage to Entertainment Tonight. While you can read the entire lawsuit for fraud and invasion of privacy here, it can be summed up at paragraph 25 of the complaint as follows:

In short, employees of Splash drugged Mr. Ledger, a known drug user, and then videotaped him without his consent for the purpose of damaging his reputation and to make money. Plaintiff was also victimized and duped by Defendants so that Defendants could create a story by getting this actor to take drugs and then secretly film him and exploit his illness.

Popsquire’s perspective…

Jane Doe’s attorneys clearly wish to paint her as the victim in a plot to exploit Heath Ledger, but Popsquire sees it differently. By seeking to recover “ill-gotten gains,” Jane Doe really is looking to share in any profits from the video.

If she really was opposed to supplying Ledger with drugs or filming his use, then she could have stepped in at the time and stopped the activities back in 2006. However, she did nothing!

Unless Jane Doe intends to donate any money she gains to charity or a drug rehabilitation center, Popsquire cannot get behind her on this one. She’s nothing but a Karma Chameleon!

Technorati Tags: cocaine, darren banks, entertainment, eric munn, gary morgan, heath ledger, jane doe, kevin smith, pop culture law, splash, tonight, video tape

Would you keep working for someone without being paid for four months?!?

David Kim alleges in this lawsuit that he worked as Lindsay Lohan’s bodyguard for approximately four months without receiving a paycheck. Suing both Lindsay and her production company, Crossheart Productions, Kim claims he is owed $55,000!

Popsquire’s perspective…

1. Is Popsquire the only one thinking of becoming a celeb bodyguard? Who knew they made bank!?!
2. Kim likely has no grounds to sue Lindsay as an individual. In most situations, the production company is the employer, not the celebrity. People often sue the celeb for publicity and/or to pursue deep pockets. This likely is no exception.
3. If this man worked for four months for free, he is an idiot, but he still deserves to be paid. And, if he isn’t paid, maybe he should do a tell-all book. That likely will pay way more than $55k…

Technorati Tags: bodyguard, crossheart productions, david kim, law, lindsay lohan, pop culture, unpaid wages

Lou Pearlman — the man formerly known for managing the Backstreet Boys — has reached a plea deal in his federal bank fraud case, according to the Federal Public Defender’s Office in Orlando.

Prosecutors said he defrauded banks out of more than $100 million, and he is suspected of stealing another $300 million from various investors. In fact, according to the Backstreet Boys’ attorney, Pearlman owes them more than $4 million!

A judge will determine how much jail time Pearlman will serve, and only time will tell how much money will be recovered. Stay tuned!

PS: Popsquire wonders if Pearlman feels “Inconsolable“

Technorati Tags: backstreet boys, bank fraud, federal crime, lou pearlman