I t is a case made for Hollywood.
A Canadian high-school dropout has been slapped with a civil lawsuit in Los Angeles for allegedly swindling $1.5-million from celebrity charity events.
Aaron Tonken, a native of Windsor, Ont., is accused of diverting the money into his own accounts from fundraisers involving stars such as Michael J. Fox and Michelle Pfeiffer.
Mr. Tonken says he has done nothing wrong -- saying he struggled to meet the demands of celebrities and agents who insisted on hefty appearance fees for the fundraisers.
Mr. Tonken is a bit of a Hollywood story himself: Just 10 years ago, he was reportedly unemployed and living in a homeless shelter. He used his charm and cold-calling skills to crack the upper echelons of the star system there.
Mr. Tonken also organized a million-dollar benefit for Hillary Clinton during her Senate campaign. It turns out they were introduced by Denise Rich, whose fugitive husband Marc was pardoned as part of Bill Clinton's presidential swan song.
I hope the guy's naturalized, because if he's not he's in trouble. I checked the FEC records, and Tonken's given money to the Dems. Isn't that like illegal if you're not a citizen?