John Leslie Hug Embezzler, Con Artist, Thief Santa Monica, California

He came to my studio with a project, said he had an agreement with Whole Foods to sell an album of Brazilian Christmas music over the holidays. 

He and the artist came in to record and mix over a few sessions. He had received funds (I seem to remember $10,000) from a woman investor and actually did pay me the first half.

He still owed me $600 at the end of the project, but had some plausible reason why he had to bring it to me next Tuesday. As they were trying to meet a deadline, I let him send the album for mastering and manufacturing.

Thus began a series of calls, excuses, failures to show up, and much crying and gnashing of teeth over his dead wife and troubled daughter. I thought his wife was recently deceased, but learned later that he had been using the excuse for years and years.

The lady who invested lost her entire $10.000.  Aside from the first $600, he did not pay anything else, and pocketed the entire budget. The artist and investor wound up paying the manufacturing bill themselves.

Oh, and there was no agreement whatsoever, ever, with Whole Foods.