It's the oldest story in the book: boy meets girl, boy falls in love with girl, boy concocts $33 million fraud scheme to impress girl. And now, that boy is going to jail: accountant to the stars Kenneth Starr was sentenced to seven-and-a-half years in prison yesterday for defrauding celebrity clients and his other investors. And it was all for the love of a good
stripper. "I can't believe I did what I did. I lost my moral compass," Starr told the court.
Starr, 67, pleaded guilty last fall to wire fraud, money laundering and investment advisor fraud; he bilked tens of millions of dollars from his various clients, among whom include Wesley Snipes, Sylvester Stallone, Al Pacino, Uma Thurman and Martin Scorsese. His plea deal was supposed to guarantee a 10-12 year sentence, but US District Court Judge Shira Scheindlin gave him a slightly lighter sentence—partially because of his longstanding charity work, partially because none of the clients he ripped off were financially ruined, and partially because Scheindlin seemed to feel bad that Starr is such a typically dumb dude who only thought with his penis: "He seemed to have lost his moral compass partly as a result of infatuation with his young fourth wife," Scheindlin said. We're counting the seconds until someone announces the new book, "The Pole Dancer and the Ponzi Scheme."
That younger fourth wife, Diane Passage, was in court supporting her husband yesterday. The Post do a wonderful job capturing her Victorian essence: "buxom Diane Passage, sat front and center in a body-hugging skirt that left little to the imagination. Her cleavage was so generous, she used it to tuck in her sunglasses." In the wake of her dicey financial situation (his companies are in bankruptcy, and their joint bank accounts have been frozen), Passage recently auditioned for a new, untitled reality TV show which will show what life is like for pole dancers at Scores, her old stomping grounds.
It's nice to see that even with all the drama surrounding her husband and her finances, she still is keeping track of current events: "Lol! Charlie sheen is so fucking crazy! He's totally still my idol. "I'm on a drug- it's called Charlie Sheen" gawd bless him!" she tweeted two days before her husband's sentencing.
