“To Catch a Predator” host Chris Hansen, 59, was arrested and charged on Monday, Jan. 14, after being accused of bouncing checks and failing to pay $13,000 worth of marketing materials he received from a local vendor.
Hansen was charged and then released after signing a written promise to appear in court, according to the Stamford Police Department in Connecticut.
Police said Hansen requested 355 ceramic mugs, 288 T-shirts, and 650 vinyl decals from Promotional Sales Limited owner Peter Psichopaidas to use at marketing events, reported Us Magazine. Psichopaidas said the merchandise was delivered in 2017, but Hansen failed to pay the $12,998 bill.
The store received a check for the entire amount, but it bounced, according to an arrest affidavit obtained by the Stamford Advocate. Psichopaidas spoke to Hansen, who apologized and offered to make a partial payment. Last April, Psichopaidas was still not paid, and he then filed a complaint with police.
On the set of the the untitled film on White Boy Rick! A story I broke in Detroit around 1987. My cameo! pic.twitter.com/BR0TaQXpnN
— Chris Hansen (@chrishansen) June 2, 2017
Hansen was contacted by investigator Sean Coughlin and agreed to go to the Stamford police station to make a statement. However, Hansen never showed up.
The television host then offered to make four partial payments to Psichopaidas, which he refused. Hansen then told the vendor his wife would deliver a check, but she never arrived, reported the Stamford Advocate.
Coughlin warned Hansen that he had been given plenty of time to pay the bill and if he didn’t, he would 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,” Coughlin said, according to the affidavit.
Later that April, Psichopaidas received a personal check from Hansen for $13,200, but it bounced three days later, according to Stamford Advocate.
The day the check bounced, Hansen emailed Psichopaidas.
“Peter … I truly thought I had this covered,” he wrote, according to Stamford Advocate. “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 payments this afternoon.”
However, a new check never arrived.
Hansen turned himself over to police on Jan. 14, and he was released without bond, NBC reported.
The television journalist hosted NBC’s “Dateline” series “To Catch a Predator” until it was canceled in 2008. Hansen also hosted spinoffs “To Catch an I.D. Thief” and “To Catch a Con Man.” Later, he hosted Investigation Discovery’s “Killer Instinct” and the syndicated show “Crime Watch Daily.”
#KillerInstinct on tonight! A gambler killed. 4 good suspects. Hundreds of twists. 9eastern in@DiscoveryID pic.twitter.com/EiQmgrTShS
— Chris Hansen (@chrishansen) October 3, 2017
In 2015, Hansen launched a kickstarter to fund a new show, “Hansen vs. Predator,” with mugs and T-shirts listed as incentives for donating. The kickstarter seems to have been successful as it raised almost $90,000 with 1,220 backers. That’s almost $15,000 more than the original $75,000 pledge goal.
According to the kickstarter site, “Chris Hansen, here. You’ve asked, and I’ve heard you. We’re going after predators again. Together.”
The funds raised primarily go towards the pre-production category, which includes scouting and securing a location for shooting. It also includes security, insurance, legal expenses, and paying the team for their hard work. After that, there’s the production expenses, which helps make something for people to watch.
Hansen wrote on the site thanking the pledgers.
“Thanks to you, we made our initial goal. But this is far from over now. We need your help to keep up the hustle to make this investigation the best it can be.”
20 minutes until the clock runs out! http://t.co/z0QBHtsH3o
— Chris Hansen (@chrishansen) May 15, 2015
“With your continued support, we’ll be able to dig into the back story of each character, air the show without breaks, and may even give you a sneak peek into our new investigation before the Kickstarter clock runs out. Thanks so much for your continued support.”
