Taylor Swift scam: White Plains pair charged with ripping off $225,000 from concert investor

WHITE PLAINS A White Plains attorney and another man are accused of running a scam in which they pretended to represent county pop singer Taylor Swift to steal $225,000 from a concert investor in Los Angeles.

Attorney Emmanuel Kojo Bentil and Derrick Suits Robinson of White Plains concocted a phony concert in Phoenix to swindle Kachik Mouradian, the chief executive officer of Omega Alpha Enterprises, according to the Westchester County District Attorneys office.

Bentil, who has a law office in New York, allegedly gave Mouradian two phony documents with a forged signature of Michael Schweiger, CEO of Central Entertainment Group (CEG Talent) in New York City.

The first document, in December 2009, was an artist offer letter. The second, in January 2010, was a performance agreement for Swift to perform in a concert in Phoenix on March 9, 2010 in exchange for $500,000, the District Attorneys office said.

CEG Talent was never authorized to represent Swift. Bentil returned $150,000 of the initial investment when Mouradian confronted him about the scam, according to the District Attorneys office.

The men each face felony charges of second-degree grand larceny and second-degree criminal possession of a forged instrument

Bentil, 47, was arraigned this morning in White Plains City Court, where bail was set at $100,000. He is due back in court on April 11. If convicted of either felony charge, Bentil would be disbarred.

Robinson, 29, was arraigned Wednesday in city court and is free on $5,000 bail. His next court date is April 2.

Second-degree grand larceny is punishable by up to 15 years in state prison.