Long-time Hollywood talent manager Pat O’Brien was has been convicted of running a bait-and-switch scam that took advantage of aspiring young actors and their parents.
The head of Pat O’Brien Talent Management and Talent Marketing and Promotions, Inc. pleaded no-contest to one count of operating an advance-fee representation service and failing to file a $50,000 bond with California’s state labor commission. In the end, he was sentenced to three years of probation and 90 days in jail (or 45 days of community service) and pay $6,000 in restitution to three victims of his scam.
(Below is the logo to his website)
“In an effort to put a lengthy, painful trial with my family behind us, I agreed to plead no-contest to two minor business code violations,” said O’Brien, whose legal woes began when a woman complained that she’d moved from Arizona with her son in hopes of him landing an sitcom audition, only to find that it was a ploy for the 15-year-old to sign a representation contract and pay for a photo shoot and acting classes.
Said Los Angeles Deputy City Attorney Mark Lambert, “We are extremely pleased with the outcome in both cases and hope that it will deliver the message to others that you will be prosecuted in Los Angeles for talent scams.”
