May 20, 2008 09:13 pm
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By Greg Grisolano
ggrisolano@joplinglobe.com
Missouri Attorney General Jay Nixon’s office has received payment of more than $7,000 in restitution and court costs from one of three Joplin-based promoters who were accused of running bogus concerts and conventions.
A spokesman for Nixon’s office, John Fougere, said it has received two checks — one for $5,250 in restitution and another for $1,906 in court costs — from Josh Allen.
Allen is one of three men accused of defrauding dozens of vendors out of thousands of dollars for a series of concerts and events that were postponed and ultimately canceled.
“Josh Allen, by virtue of those payments, has completely paid up his financial responsibilities in the case,” Fougere said Tuesday.
The fate of another defendant, 30-year-old Derrick Gates, of Joplin, is scheduled to be decided at a June 4 hearing in Jasper County Circuit Court.
Fougere said he could not say for certain when reimbursement checks would be sent to victims.
“It’s too soon; we just received the checks,” he said. “Hopefully we’ll know in a few days.”
Fougere declined to comment on whether any criminal charges could be forthcoming, citing office policy not to comment until charges have been filed.
Court records indicate that Allen made payments to the Missouri Merchandising Practices Restitution and Revolving funds on May 9. From there, they were mailed to Nixon’s office.
Allen, 26, of Carl Junction, and co-defendant Zachary Grimm, 22, of Joplin, were ordered to repay vendors at a hearing April 16 in Jasper County Circuit Court.
Grimm reached a consent agreement with Nixon’s office and has one year to repay $3,225 to six vendors who provided deposits to participate in Godstock, a Christian music festival that was to take place last summer in Joplin. He also must pay $500 to cover the state’s costs for the investigation. An additional $6,000 in civil penalties was suspended, pending Grimm’s compliance with the order.
Allen’s repayments will go to 10 artists and other vendors who thought they were reserving space to participate in the Ink Deep Tattoo Convention, which was scheduled to take place last December in Kansas City.
A permanent injunction is in place against Grimm and Allen, prohibiting them from advertising or promoting any events without first posting a security bond — $50,000 for Grimm, $200,000 for Allen — and notifying the Missouri attorney general’s office.
According to court records, Gates and his companies received more than $30,000 from at least 70 vendors in the United States and Canada. The funds were deposits for booth space at Godstock and the Ink Deep event. One vendor from Kansas City also claimed that she gave Gates money to participate in a rap concert that was scheduled for last August in Kansas City, Kan.
Gates, who also went by the alias Derrick Badders, was the chief executive of OnFire Productions and HardNox Productions, the production companies behind the events. Allen and Grimm are listed as being employees of the companies.
Remaining defendant
A hearing for co-defendant Derrick Gates, also known as Derrick Badders, is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. Wednesday, June 4, in Division 2 of Jasper County Circuit Court.
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