source themorningcall.com
Capt. Janks' lawyer getting prank reimbursement calls
His client, known for similar capers, is having theft charges from 5 counties consolidated
By Robert H. Orenstein
OF THE MORNING CALL
July 19, 2009
You almost had to expect this.
The lawyer for Capt. Janks -- the one-time ''Howard Stern Show'' radio personality who gained notoriety for making bogus calls to news shows -- is getting crank calls seeking reimbursement for Janks' no-show performances.
''We are getting prank phone calls from Pittsburgh, Texas,'' said Thomas Carluccio, Janks' lawyer from Plymouth Meeting, Montgomery County, recounting where some of the calls originated.
Janks -- his real name is Thomas Cipriano -- from North Wales, Montgomery County, faces theft charges for getting paid in advance to appear at bars and restaurants. In each case, authorities say, the comedian promised promotional spots on Stern's show and a free satellite radio. But he never showed, according to police.
Meanwhile, charges from five Pennsylvania counties are being consolidated in Montgomery County Court.
''Where the evidence shows a pattern of a common planned design or a scheme that shows a criminal enterprise, the courts allow them to be brought together in one place,'' said Bradford Richman, an assistant district attorney prosecuting the cases. ''It would be a waste of judicial resources to try this in four or five different counties.''
After the media reported the first charges in Montgomery and Bucks counties this spring, other business owners contacted police to report their problems. That led to additional charges in Philadelphia, Berks and Chester counties, Richman said.
In all, Cipriano faces theft charges in 10 incidents where he generally received from $250 to $350 in advance, Richman said; nine businesses -- one paid for two performances -- gave Cipriano a total of about $3,700.
Charges in Schuylkill County were dropped this spring, Carluccio said, after Cipriano repaid the bar. Court records indicate charges were dropped.
At least two business owners in Delaware and New Jersey pressed charges. Richman said those cases cannot be tried in Pennsylvania.
Carluccio tried to settle the Pennsylvania cases out of court, saying criminal charges should be dropped because Cipriano broke a contract, which is a civil matter.
Richman disagreed: ''When you have this number of cases, there is just no way this is a civil matter.''
''If we can't resolve the issues, then we will go to trial,'' Carluccio said.
Carluccio, a longtime fan of Stern's show, said he has been representing Cipriano for free. He met Cipriano last year through a mutual friend, who said Cipriano needed help in an unrelated legal matter.
Carluccio said Cipriano was in drug rehabilitation in February, and Cipriano, 43, told Stern on the air that he was addicted to painkillers.
Cipriano spent 22 days in Montgomery County jail without bail after police filed the first charges. He was released May 14.
''At some point in time, his whole life crashed,'' Carluccio said.
Janks' supporters -- including a Stern cohort, comedian Artie Lange -- have been helping raise money to reimburse bars and restaurants, Carluccio said.
Lange raised $8,500 and has committed another $1,500 from benefit shows, Carluccio said. Lange could not be reached for comment, but he has discussed the benefits on Stern's show.
With the money, Cipriano has repaid seven bar and club owners a total of about $3,000, Carluccio said.
Another Lange benefit planned for Thursday in Delaware County was postponed, Carluccio said, adding he never expected the magnitude of Cipriano's problems.
''I had no idea,'' he said, ''it would develop the way it has.''
robert.orenstein@mcall.com
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thanks to Roger_Paw for the info.
