The host of 'To Catch a Predator' is accused of bouncing checks for $13,000 worth of promotional mugs, T-shirts, and vinyl decals
- "To Catch a Predator" host Chris Hansen turned himself in to police in Stamford, Connecticut, on Monday.
- He was charged with issuing a bad check after failing to pay a local vendor $12,998.05 for 355 ceramic mugs, 288 T-shirts and 650 vinyl decals, police said.
- The vendor, Peter Psichopaidas, told police he has been trying to get the money from Hansen for more than a year.
"To Catch a Predator" host Chris Hansen has been accused of issuing bad checks and failing to pay a Connecticut vendor nearly $13,000 for marketing materials.
Hansen, 59, was charged on Monday in Stamford, Connecticut, with issuing a bad check after allegedly failing to pay Peter Psichopaidas, owner of Promotional Sales Limited, $12,998.05, according to the Stamford Advocate.
Hansen had agreed to pay the funds before the delivery of his order, which included 355 ceramic mugs, 288 T-shirts and 650 vinyl decals, in September 2017, police said.
But Hansen's initial check bounced, police said, and Psichopaidas filed a complaint against the TV host in April 2018, when he was still waiting to be paid.
Psichopaidas said Hansen later agreed to make four partial payments and said his wife would give him a check, but police say that never happened.
At the time, investigator Sean Coughlin warned Hansen that if he did not pay Psichopaidas, he could be arrested for larceny.
"I told Chris that I understood that he may have trouble, but that nearly $13,000 is a lot of money to a 'mom-and-pop' business and it is not fair that he accepted the material but hasn't paid for it," the affidavit seen by The Advocate said.
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On April 27, 2018, Hansen issued another check to Psichopaidas, but it bounced three days later.
When Psichopaidas asked Hansen what was going on, Hansen replied: "Peter… I truly thought I had this covered. I am scrambling to get it done. Please give me till the end of the day. I sold a boat to cover the rest of this and need to pick up the payment this afternoon."
Another check never came, however, and an arrest warrant was issued for Hansen.
Hansen turned himself in to police on Monday and was released without bond on the promise to appear in court.
Hansen's show "To Catch a Predator," in which he worked with law enforcement to take down child predators, was canceled in 2008, but episodes continue to air on MSNBC.
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