The 'Hitcher' actor insists he never intended to steal from anyone, claiming he was a victim too in the scheme scenario by a fraudulent third party.
- March 27, 2013
AceShowbiz -
Actor C. Thomas Howell lands in hot water. The Off. Bill "Dewey" Dudek of "Southland" is named a defendant in the lawsuit filed by Blackacre Entertainment for allegedly tricking the company into making investment for a hoax film project allegedly titled "Bite".
TMZ reports the plaintiffs claim they were fooled by Howell into believing that the project was legit. He allegedly showed them forged docs, a fake bank account which showed an $11 million balance, and phony conference calls with phantom Bank of America managers.
The company reportedly invested $220,000 and was promised the money would be returned in 30 days along with additional $66,000. Turned out they never received their money and now are seeking $286,000 plus punitive damages against Howell.
In his defense, Howell said he didn't know it was a scheme. The Jim Halsey of the successful movie "The Hitcher" insisted he was a victim too, claiming he was duped to raise the money by a fraudulent third party.
The case is still under investigation by FBI.
