Original subtitles

In this episode of American Greed. Y 'all feeling good?

Meet professional saxophonist Donald Ski Johnson.

He's a recording artist and red carpet fixture.

Y 'all looking better than me, man.

Who runs the Jazz for Life Foundation.

But the feds say Johnson's charity helps no one but himself.

The socks, the conscience, money was being taken from these charities and it

going to line his own pocket.

In an exclusive interview, Johnson insists he's no scammer and he's tired

investigators calling him a con man.

They don't respect me as an artist.

They think anything I do should be free. And the minute I ask for a dollar, it's

a scam.

Johnson targets charity auctions by donating star -studded trips with red

access. But Ski Johnson's VIP treatment is a mirage.

You keep telling yourself, like, no, this isn't really happening.

And you know, as an adult, you're thinking, oh, yeah, it is.

Donald Key Johnson is a busy man.

He's a self -proclaimed jazz superstar who appears to be living the high life.

Shooting music videos.

Promoting his album.

And cultivating a powerful online presence.

He seems to be everywhere, with everyone.

Promoting his music.

his own line of golf apparel, and even his very own arcade game, the sax

machine.

But it's his Jazz for Life Foundation that keeps him moving.

Help me bring about awareness to cancer.

Support the Jazz for Life Foundation.

He travels all across the United States for the foundation, performing at

charity events.

But some believe the only cause Ski Johnson really supports is Ski Johnson.

And it all comes to a head in Butte, Montana.

It's July 2015.

And while Butte isn't exactly celebrity central, a self -proclaimed jazz

superstar is making an appearance over at the federal courthouse.

Ski Johnson has just been convicted of one count of wire fraud for his

involvement in a charity event benefiting big brothers, big sisters.

I never spoke in public about it.

It was painful.

I mean, I'm just a jazz artist.

But to think that the FBI is spending all this

time and resources and money on you, I'm like, Ski, what did you do?

Four years before finding himself in the hot seat in Montana, Ski Johnson causes

a stir in Seattle, Washington.

Capitol Hill is just right up across the way. That's where a lot of great bars

and restaurants are.

Andy Caruso is a Seattle entrepreneur.

In 2011, he runs the Seattle Nightlife Facebook page when he is contacted by a

man named Larry Toy.

So I wanted it to be about not just a platform for myself, but a platform to

able to share all the cool events that were happening in town.

And this guy named Larry Toy reached out to me about this Jazz for Life

Foundation, and they wanted to do a big charity event in Seattle.

Toy explains he's the manager for Ski Johnson, the celebrity saxophonist

the Jazz for Life Foundation.

Caruso believes proceeds will go to the American Cancer Society.

And Toy tells him, A -list celebrities are already on board.

And it sounded almost too good to be true, but, you know, it's Michael

James Earl Jones, and people like that coming. But, hey, Seattle's growing, and

people are moving up here, and, you know, maybe it's true.

After the call, Caruso does a web search on Ski and finds a YouTube page and

official website portraying Ski Johnson as a Billboard number one artist.

who rubbed shoulders with the rich, famous, and powerful, regaling red

with his take on jazz,

serenading A -list stars like

Taraji P. Henson and Alfre Woodard.

They also mentioned that they did have the American Cancer Society on board,

they needed help connecting with local businesses and getting the word out

the charity event.

Caruso decides to donate his services to the car and begins spreading the word

that Michael Douglas and James Earl Jones will appear at the Black Tie Gala

February 19, 2011.

Caruso says Toy also asks him for a list of Seattle's big names.

We felt like if he invited local celebrities, local social influencers,

more people would want to buy tickets.

So I was just like, oh, there's this person, that person, or that person. We

just threw out a bunch of names randomly, Kathy Gertson being one of

Good afternoon, I'm Kathy Gertson. Kathy Gertson is a beloved news anchor at

KOMO -TV, who has been battling recurrent brain tumors since 1998.

A Seattle native and local philanthropist, Gertson will later pass

But on February 8th of 2011, Caruso believes she's coming to the cancer

fundraiser. That day, he gets a text from Larry Toy saying Kathy Gertson is

board 100%. The gala is now just 11 days away.

So that went out on social media, and then one of my friends who actually

the family told me that...

Kathy Gerson definitely wasn't coming to the event, and she didn't know anything

about it.

Unbeknownst to Caruso, Gerson has been in the hospital recovering from brain

surgery.

Then Caruso says Toy reaches out again.

And he was asking for money for the down deposit for the W Hotel.

And I'm thinking to myself at this point, I'm like, what kind of an

would reach out to a week before the event and not have the money to put up

front for the event, even after they already had ticket sales coming in?

Caruso remains cordial with Toy, but now fears the Jazz for Light event is a

scam. So he calls Seattle journalists for help, including Gertson Station KOMO

-TV. They reach representatives for Michael Douglas and James Earl Jones,

confirm they know nothing about the fundraiser or Ski Johnson.

The saxophonist has already arranged a press conference upon arriving in

to promote his gala event.

He had reached out to the local media and he's like, I'm coming to town. Roll

the red carpet for me.

So when Ski Johnson arrives, he walks into an ambush.

And there's no manager named Larry Toy by his side to help him out.

Did you speak with them?

The people who represent them.

Did you speak with them?

Well, no, I did not have a conversation with Michael Douglas. Well, I did.

It's my testimony. I had a conversation with him. And he will be here this

weekend? I, my testimony is that he, that James Earl Jones, that they were

invited and I wanted them and I invited them to come to this event.

I'll sit next to my friend and I had this crazy idea in my mind because I

the voice of Ski Johnson and it sounded exactly the same as Larry Toy.

I'm like, this couldn't get any crazier. I'm like, is this for real? I'm going

to call Larry Toy right now on my phone.

While he's talking.

And I called Larry Toy's phone number. And whatever phone was on Ski Johnson

rang. I mean, I can't say that. But you are saying that. We're just sitting in

the corner just freaking out. Like, Larry Toy is Ski Johnson. Ski Johnson is

Larry Toy.

Or for some weird circumstance, somehow he had Larry Toy's personal phone on

him. And I'm like, and they sound exactly the same.

And it's a scam.

Ski Johnson tells American Greed Caruso's story about the W Hotel deposit

made up.

Johnson also denies confirming the appearances of Michael Douglas and James

Jones, saying the materials he provided to Caruso made no mention of the stars.

This is a copy of the flyer that we created.

This is a posting from Facebook that we started posting.

Around that time.

Has nothing about any of that.

But what about that text saying Kathy Gertzen is on board 100 %?

There's a whole text.

We may have worded it wrong. We felt she was on board 100 % partially by what

was said, but we ended the sentence saying we're still waiting to hear final

confirmation.

Gertson's colleagues at KOMO News don't buy that explanation.

You take a shot at the promoters and they've given us evidence that shows

where you make statements about Kathy Gertson being ready. She's in the

when you say that she's good to go.

We've checked with Michael Douglas.

You guys never contacted Michael Douglas. He kept on changing his story

eventually just called off the event and left town.

The $13 ,000 raised has already been transferred to Johnson's bank account.

As for the mysterious Larry Toy, Ski Johnson admits the name belongs to an

friend.

Johnson sees use of an alias as a helpful tactic when booking work as a

performer, making negotiating perks less awkward.

Federal investigators contend Ski Johnson has a pattern of hiding behind

aliases, and not just Larry Toy.

He would call using the aliases of either Kevin Wright or Richard Sims,

representing Ski Johnson, and in reality that was Ski Johnson himself.

Next on American Greed.

Come along on a spectacular trip to the Grammy Awards with Ski Johnson's idea of

VIP treatment.

I'm just watching what's unfolding in front of me and I'm thinking, oh no,

is not good. This is not good.

Investigators say in late 2011, Ski Johnson again poses as his own manager.

This time, he's Kevin Wright, to book a performance at a hospice fundraiser in

Palm Beach, Florida.

Wright says Johnson is a three -time Grammy nominee, who was also interested

donating a trip to the 2012 Grammy Awards.

When donors give items to charity auctions, they usually require nothing

return. The charities get to keep 100 % of the proceeds raised by the item's

sale. However, when the Jazz for Life Foundation donates Grammy tickets, it

requires the partner charity to agree to split the proceeds.

Jazz for Life keeps one half, and the partner charity gets the other.

But Johnson acknowledges he uses Jazz for Life's share to reimburse himself

the initial purchase of the tickets and to cover the luxurious perks included in

the trip package.

You have to purchase Grammy tickets, you have to have limo rides, you have to

have hotels. These things are expensive.

I mean, it's not no pick -up -and -drop -off.

I wish.

Beth Charbonneau and her husband, Larry, placed the winning bid at the hospice

event. a $12 ,000 donation.

We knew we would end up supporting the organization that night regardless, but

we ended up getting in a bidding war with another couple, and Larry was bound

and determined that he was going to send me to the Grammy Awards.

Beth Charbonneau plans to invite her best friend Mary Ann King on the trip,

which will also include a hotel stay in Los Angeles.

The women arrive at their hotel on Friday afternoon, February 10th.

When I checked in, they told me they had to take my credit card, and I didn't

understand why, because it was supposed to be paid for. So they told me that Mr.

Johnson had not checked in yet, and that when he did, they would make sure they

switched out the credit card.

Charbonneau says when Johnson arrives later that day, he promises to take care

of the credit card issue.

And suggests they all meet up for dinner later that night.

It got to be like 7 o 'clock, 8 o 'clock, 9 o 'clock. We never heard from

Johnson. So we didn't end up going out that night.

The women bump into Johnson the next morning in the hotel lobby.

He was on his phone trying to secure two more tickets to the Grammy Awards.

So Marianne had heard more of the conversation I had and she looked at me

she said, oh, I hope that has nothing to do with us.

When he got off the phone and we said to him, like, you know, we didn't get a

chance to see you last night because you never called us for dinner. He said,

well, I got tied up and I was really busy. So I, you know, I apologize. But,

know, it looks like we're going to try to go over to the Clive Davis party

tonight.

But once again, their plans change.

Death of a superstar.

There was word that Whitney Houston had.

passed away.

Whitney Houston was supposed to be here at the Beverly Hilton for Clive Davis's

famous pre -Grammy party. Instead, this is where she died.

When we saw Mr.

Johnson, he told us we weren't going to go anywhere because they probably

weren't going to have the party and he couldn't go. He was extremely upset that

she had passed and he was getting together with some of his friends.

In this case, Johnson has an easy way out, whether he needs it or not.

February 12, 2012.

It's the day of the Grammy Awards in Los Angeles.

The biggest honors in American music.

Beth Charbonneau says Johnson has been promising a dazzling star -studded

weekend. But so far, all he's delivered is disappointment.

We got up Sunday morning early. We decided to go for a power walk down

Monica Beach.

We were maybe out about 15 minutes, and I slid off the side of the sidewalk into

the sand, and I fell, and I broke my wrist.

She told me there was climbing mountains, and she fell and broke her

I was rushed to the hospital, and she was not attending.

Not attending?

Charbonneau says that has never been the case.

The very last minute, she decides, well, I'm coming.

I assumed she wasn't coming.

So I had to move some things around.

get her tickets from, you know, there's a lot of places you can get tickets

there, publicist, so on.

Hours later, they're dressed to the nines and waiting for Steve Johnson to

shepherd them to the show.

We went to get in the limousine, and the limousine was, like, so beat up, and

the overhead material in the upper part of the roof was kind of torn, and then

when they went to offer drinks, it opened up this little...

cooler they had brought with them and their own bottles of liquor with these

plastic cups. I looked at Marianne, and I'm thinking, something doesn't feel

right. I was sitting in there, my arms in a sling. I'm leaning back, and I'm

just watching what's unfolding in front of me in the limpy, and I'm thinking,

oh, no, this is not good. This is not good.

Then she says Ski Johnson surprises the women by announcing they've got more

people to pick up.

Then this couple, two couples actually, got into the limousine with us and we

headed out to the Staples Center.

I was kind of sitting back.

Marianne was having a conversation with one of the gals and she was saying that

they had been the recipients of another auction with him and they had tickets to

go to the Grammy Awards.

So I was, I remember looking at Marianne thinking, okay, this is just getting

crazier as time goes on.

Next on American Greed, seeing red on the red carpet.

You keep telling yourself, no, this isn't really happening.

And you know, as an adult, you're thinking, oh, yeah, it is.

Saxophonist Guy Johnson is in a limousine.

on his way to the 2012 Grammy Awards.

He's joined by donors who have won Grammy tickets he's offered at charity

auctions. And they're all headed towards the Staples Center.

We pull up to where the limousines are going in for the red carpet, and he

instructs the driver to go around the other side of the building.

Rather than taking their place in the official line, she says they park in a

across the street and then Johnson sneaks the group in through a side door.

He knew the security guard. He talked to him. The guy opened the door. The

gentleman at the tent, it's actually a tent, it's not a door.

He says, you guys have your tickets?

Here's our tickets.

They walked in.

And once we got in, we realized we were further down the red carpet. We were not

in the actual beginning of the red carpet. So in essence, he was sneaking

the corner side door.

I'm trying to figure out how could I sneak on to the red carpet when I have

tickets in my hand?

How could I do that?

Well, the Recording Academy reserves the red carpet for nominees, honorees,

presenters and performers.

And Ski Johnson isn't one of them.

So we got in.

We walked down the red carpet.

You're seeing these famous people walk past you and everybody's coming out to

talk to them. And then nobody was coming out to interview Ski Johnson.

And I remember saying to Miriam, well, that's odd.

And then more and more when you realized that nobody was paying attention to

him, you realize that, you know, he's just, he's a nobody.

He's a nobody.

And in that little world, he didn't pretend to be somebody. He just

be the person on the sidelines.

That is, until he reaches the final stretch of the red carpet.

What's up, y 'all?

Hey, what's going on?

Y 'all feeling good?

Y 'all want some jazz? Yeah!

After Ski Johnson's impromptu performance, the group leaves the red

head toward the event entrance.

So we went to the first entrance, and he started talking about didn't have our

tickets, his PR person hadn't shown up with the tickets.

She says Ski Johnson tries the same story at a second entrance, and then a

third. You keep telling yourself, like, no, this isn't really happening.

And you know, as an adult, you're thinking, oh, yeah, it is.

But you keep hoping, like, you're going to give somebody the benefit of the

doubt because maybe it is crazy, all these things you hear about L .A., and

maybe there was a snappy with the tickets, but then you realize, no, no,

a big con.

She remembers the call they'd overheard back at the hotel and realizes she and

Mary Ann are not getting into the Grammy Awards.

And at this point, Marion and I realized that this whole thing, what we had

heard on the phone and him trying to secure tickets was, in fact, he didn't

our tickets.

We just said, we've had enough. Just get away from us.

So what happened to the women's tickets?

Well, we did have tickets.

And what happened was that we had to, the publicist that we were working with

had to bring the tickets over.

But I think she was in a really bad mood because things were just,

when we got the call that she wasn't going to come, we had to turn, we had

mean, this was earlier, but we had to get to her at the last minute. So we

literally running to get to the red carpet because the red carpet was going

close.

And I, of course, that was important for me to be on the red carpet and promote.

The next morning, while checking out, Charbonneau says she discovers she has

been stuck with the bill.

It's the final insult.

Mr. Johnson had never given them his credit card, so I was so upset with him.

There was no way I was going to then go hunt Mr. Johnson down. I just figured at

this stage of the game, so much had happened. I would just deal with this

I got back to Florida.

Johnson says he thought the Hospice Foundation had taken care of

hotel stay and that he would later reimburse the nonprofit from his half of

Jazz for Life money.

In fact, I didn't even know she had paid for it.

After checking out, she has one last encounter with Ski Johnson.

I was getting in the elevator.

Ski Johnson was coming off.

And he started to tell me how sorry I was. It was a big mix -up, and I

I was probably not proud of it, but I was very rude and told him if he didn't

get away from me, I was going to punch him right in the nose.

At this point, I just wanted to get home.

So Marianne and I just packed up our stuff and left, left L .A.

After her nightmare trip, Hospice of Palm Beach County Foundation apologizes

Charbonneau, returns her donation, and reimburses her for the hotel.

Next on American Greed, a misstep in Montana lands Key Johnson and Jazz for

under federal investigation.

So even though this is an account set up specifically for Jazz for Life

Foundation, he's using it just as his own personal account.

Three months after the 2012 Grammy Awards, Ski Johnson contacts Big

Sisters in Bozeman, Montana, and offers to appear at their Celebrity Golf

fundraiser at the luxurious Big Sky Resort.

Johnson is still posing as Kevin Wright, but according to investigators, Kevin

Wright has transformed into a Sony Records representative, who is also

agent. He also represented that he had Grammy tickets that he would be willing

to Provide to the charity to auction off and agreed with them that they would

split the proceeds. Mr.

Johnson's charity called Jazz for Life would receive half of the proceeds.

And who wouldn't want to auction off Grammy tickets and go to the Grammys?

They paid for his expenses to come to Montana.

The resort would then pay for him and his manager to stay at the Big Scatter

Resort. Green fees, meals, cocktail events, other expenses that would

extended to a celebrity.

Ski Johnson arrives, saxophone in tow.

What he doesn't bring, though, are those Grammy tickets.

But they auctioned the tickets off anyway, and they sold for a few thousand

dollars.

Fast forward to after the event.

The tickets never came, as promised. He provided various excuses, and they

became suspicious.

Big Brothers Big Sisters reaches out to the FBI, and Special Agent Greg Rice

takes the case.

He partners with Special Agent Brett Siemens, a criminal investigator for the

Internal Revenue Service.

The agents say a pattern quickly emerges.

in which Johnson searches online for upcoming charity events around the

and cold calls their organizers.

Then, using an alias, he poses as someone who represents celebrities who

interested in attending their events.

They say in Seattle, it's Michael Douglas and James Earl Jones.

Other times, it's Halle Berry and Queen Latifah. Later on, he would report to

the charity event.

These celebrities were no longer able to attend, but Key Johnson was able to.

Yes, superstar saxophonist Key Johnson would come through.

The investigation discovers alleged victims from coast to coast.

Hospice of Palm Beach County, Big Brothers, Big Sisters, Bozeman, Montana.

There was the Hilton Head charity golf event. There was a children's burn

charity in the Midwest.

There was organizations that were raising money for the Shriners, for

schools, homeless pets, veterans.

And yet, investigators learn there are some kernels of truth. Well, at least

half -truth, in Ski Johnson's many stories.

For starters, Ski Johnson is a recording artist who's released several records.

His album, New Beginnings, hits number one on Billboard's top contemporary jazz

album chart in July 2009.

And Johnson is a member of the Recording Academy, but he's never been nominated

for a Grammy. They have no record of him ever being a Grammy -nominated artist.

And they provided a letter to us that essentially outlines that fact.

That letter was mailed to Johnson back in 2012.

And in it, it just says, you're not allowed to use that term.

And you're not a Grammy -nominated artist.

Johnson acknowledges that he continued to bill himself as Grammy -nominated,

despite having received the cease and desist letter.

But he says he has proof he's not the one who's lying.

These official Grammy ballots that say I'm a Grammy nominee.

It says, I am pleased to enclose your 55th annual Grammy Awards nominating

ballot.

The entry list for selection of this year's nomination is available online.

So I go online, and clearly, whose name is this? Key Johnson.

The list does have Johnson's name on it because it's an entry list.

It has the name of every artist who's seeking a nomination.

So when I got the letter from this attorney in 2012, I argued with him. I

you can't tell someone they're nominated.

and then say, no, no, no, no, no.

What you're reading is not, no, no.

It doesn't mean that, like, you're an idiot.

That's a con.

It's bigger than me.

It's bigger than all of us. It's bigger than American Greed, this situation.

So at what point does behavior move from being questionable to criminal?

It's certainly not a crime to promote oneself, but it is a crime to make

misrepresentations in an attempt to defraud anybody of money or property.

that's what the defendant did in this case. He defrauded various charitable

organizations out of money that it would not have spent had they known Ski

Johnson's true identity.

The feds maintain Donald Ski Johnson has swindled more than $70 ,000 from at

least 15 organizations and 11 individual donors.

As for Ski Johnson's cause, the Jazz for Life Foundation... Jazz for Life is not

a registered charity.

It only appears as a name on a website and nothing more.

So even though this is an account set up specifically for Jazz for Life

Foundation, he's using it just as his own personal account.

The FBI did a forensic analysis and discovered that...

Of approximately $150 ,000 that he received into that account over the

three years, he spent approximately $20 on charity.

But Johnson says they're missing the point by misunderstanding the mission of

the Jazz for Life Foundation.

Jazz for Life, I always said, was a for -profit foundation. Never a charity. We

wanted to be an organization, a for -profit.

Foundation that works with other charities in supporting them. By working

them, we're supporting them.

If I'm donating my time and my craft, I don't have to pay for airfare and hotel.

So they would fly me out.

I would participate in the tournament.

I would perform.

There's a worth to my performance.

To belittle.

Like, what I'm contributing.

To do that to any artist is just... It's bad.

And yet, on Johnson's website, as recently as 2014, there is a donation

button on the Jazz for Life page.

Next on American Greed, a return trip to the Grammy and a showdown with the Fed.

He said, this is what's coming to you. You're going to be charged with wire

fraud,

mail fraud, and tax evasion.

Ski Johnson is planning a trip to L .A. to attend the 2013 Grammy Awards with

another winner of Jazz for Life Grammy tickets.

The gentleman who won the tickets called me and said, Ski.

I'm going to give it to a friend of mine.

And just give them the tickets when you get out there.

Ski hops on a plane to L .A.

without realizing the FBI is working with the Recording Academy to ruin his

carpet moment.

In February 2013, we contacted the Recording Academy and they were very

help us and assist us with the investigation.

The happy couple taking the place of the auction winner.

are not who they seem to be.

We had undercover FBI agents meet with him and we were able to observe Mr.

Johnson entering the venue in an unauthorized manner.

Ski Johnson still has no idea he's under investigation, let alone that he's been

hosting undercover agents.

The investigation continues from 2013 to 2014.

He continually was...

reaching out to charities almost to the point that we couldn't keep up with him

to be one step ahead.

In 2014, Ski Johnson approaches the NFL Players Association in Washington, D

.C., this time using the manager alias Richard Sims.

He wanted to appear at their event and ask them to pay his way, essentially, or

wanted to benefit financially from it.

Agent Rice gets wind of this and asks the association for help.

They agreed to assist us in our investigation and, at our request,

Johnson to come to a meeting.

Agents Rice and Siemens secretly listen in while Johnson meets with the

association representatives in April 2014.

So I go into Rome, sit down, and they started...

They started talking, talking to Hollywood. We want to have Ski, by the

Can we get Queen Latifah?

You know, you guys do represent her, do you? I said, I don't represent her.

She's a friend of mine. I can call her.

Johnson answers a few more questions, but senses something is off and abruptly

leaves the meeting.

I'm announcing to me, the FBI is saying, he's on the move, he's on the move,

he's on the move.

Special Agents Rison Seamans follow him to a cafe next door.

We introduced ourselves, told him we'd like to talk to him.

He seemed a little confused at first, but said he was willing to come up and

interviewed.

They're asking me about nominations.

I said, they said, they told me he was considered, but I think I'm nominated.

You can't do that.

So I asked him about Chats for Life, and...

When an FBI agent approaches anyone, they know the idea is to catch them off

guard.

They know that. They're trained to do that.

We talked to him and he confessed to a few things, that he was using the bank

account for his own purposes, that he was using the aliases in an attempt to

promote his music business, I guess.

When I figured out what he was trying to do, I said, look, I'm leaving.

And the nice guy, the two nice guys they were trying to be, he took this letter

and he slammed it in my chest.

He says, you're going to be charged. This is what's coming to you. You're

to be charged with fire fraud, mail fraud and tax evasion.

I left.

The case moves forward.

And in November 2014, Ski Johnson is indicted on one count of wire fraud.

Next, will even the conviction stop Ski Johnson from announcing a new project?

The defendant was not remorseful for what he was doing. In fact, he was

attempting to raise more money.

How's this feeling? I asked him, how's this feeling?

In July 2015, jazz saxophonist Key Johnson faces one count of felony wire

accused of a scheme to defraud in Montana and elsewhere.

Witnesses have gathered from across the country, ready to share their

experiences with the jury.

I went out to Montana to testify because I was hoping at some point someone

is going to stop him.

I figured I would.

get behind what the FBI was doing and hopefully teach this guy a lesson and

him behind bars so he couldn't hurt other people anymore.

There was a gal from Sony Music and somebody there representing the Grammy

Awards and their attorneys when we were all sitting outside waiting to go in to

testify if possible.

The wire fraud charge centers on a July 17, 2012 email.

sent from Johnson on the East Coast to Big Brothers Big Sisters in Montana,

which is considered an interstate wire communication.

In it, Johnson assumes the Kevin Wright identity.

What the government wanted to do, they wanted to take the one email that I sent

to Montana, and everywhere else I've been that flew me

and put me in a hotel, billed me for all that.

So under the one wire fraud charge that I got, they wanted to put everything

under there.

Just before the trial begins, the judge rules he'll only hear testimony directly

concerning the 2012 Big Brothers Big Sisters event.

Andy Caruso and Beth Charbonneau are not permitted to testify at trial.

But the Grammys rep does get to speak.

One of the witnesses at trial was a representative of the Recording Academy

made clear that these tickets were not able to be resold. And in fact, if the

Recording Academy became aware that the individual had purchased the tickets or

even if they were auctioned at a charity event, they would not have been able to

get into the Grammy Award.

The jury also hears from members of Big Brothers Big Sisters.

who testified that Johnson impersonated his own manager, showed up at their

event without Grammy tickets, and lied about being a Grammy nominee.

And they were operating under the belief that he would be a quality musician.

They felt that the music was not to the level of what they expected from a

Grammy -nominated artist.

The trial lasts just two days.

And on July 28, 2015, the jury convicts Donald Mitchell Johnson.

better known as Ski Johnson of Felony Wire Frog.

Sentencing is scheduled for November.

While he waits, Ski Johnson releases a trailer online to raise money for his

latest endeavor, a tell -all documentary.

Ski Johnson.

This show.

The self -named bad boy of jazz launched the foundation Jazz for Life. In that

trailer, he...

touted his conviction and himself as controversial.

So based upon that, the government's position at that thing was that the

defendant was not remorseful for what he was doing. In fact, he was attempting

to raise more money.

Okay. How's that feeling?

I asked him, how's that feeling?

What it is, they don't respect me as an artist.

They think anything I do should be free. And the minute I ask for a dollar, It's

a scam.

I have to earn for performing and going to perform.

And if I do a documentary, I should charge for it.

It's a movie. It's art.

At the November 2015 sentencing in Butte, the prosecution requests that

be ordered to pay back $76 ,000, which encompasses money from the Seattle

Beth Charbonneau's trip to the Grammys, Big Brothers and Big Sisters in Bozeman,

Montana, and more than 20 other instances.

But the judge rules he's only on the hook for $5 ,648.

They also asked for Johnson to serve 16 months in prison, to be followed by

three years probation.

But instead, Ski Johnson gets five years probation and six months house arrest.

I was a bit surprised with the leniency of the sentence.

Unfortunately, I think he just got a slap on the wrist.

I think it's wrong.

I believe wholeheartedly that something else should have happened.

In April 2017,

a federal appeals court upholds Johnson's conviction.

The court also rules that restitution should be reconsidered, taking into

account victims outside of Montana.

Ski Johnson now notes online.

that his Jazz for Life Foundation is a for -profit corporation.

Johnson continues to perform in the Washington, D .C. metro area.

He plays Champagne Wednesdays at a suburban hotel, and Jazz and Beer Date

Nights. at a Gordon Biersch restaurant.

He is planning an autumn 2017 release for his film.

It's about telling the truth and telling the whole story, and that's what my

documentary is. It's going to tell the whole story.

But Andy Caruso has no interest in hearing another story from Ski Johnson.

Part of the premise of this documentary was how he's overcome challenges in his

life. And one of those challenges was overcoming wrongful accusations from the

FBI and the IRS. The big bad government was trying to come get him. You know

what? Quit playing the victim here because, like, everybody else is the

around you in your life, you know, not you.

So it's time to change your perspective.

Next. And money is no object. The limit of the credit card was the only thing

that stopped them. The object is to get more.

It was just boom, boom, boom, boom, boom. Five rounds from the block 45.

the dark side.

Murphy Reed next on CNBC.

The early bird gets the worm. And the corner office too.

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