Kelsey Grammer has found many ways to make headlines in his long and diverse career, from arrests for substance abuse and numerous marriages — he’s currently on his fourth — to his hit TV series and flops.
Well, infamy has found him again: Grammer is the victim of an online Ponzi scheme.
In a story so strange it only could have happened in LA, actor Lydia Cornell has named the “Boss” star in a $100 million, 27-count lawsuit involving a Web site called Starpoly.
The social networking site, now taken down, was run by a character named Alex Varanos (who has two aliases, Alex Zamboni and Alex Zaronos), who apparently convinced Grammer and many others to invest, with the promise of selling “channels” to them.
The suit, which runs the gamut from fraud and embezzlement to false advertising and extortion, alleges that Varanos used Grammer’s image and name to attract other investors such as Cornell, who once played Ted Knight’s daughter on the ancient sitcom “Too Close For Comfort.”
Grammer has threatened to counter-sue. His attorney, Marty Singer, said in a statement, “Any claims filed against Kelsey Grammer concerning Starpoly are absurd and without merit. Grammer has been substantially damaged in this venture, and, in fact, lost $1 million of his own money. Grammer received nothing from the venture, monetarily or otherwise.
“Grammer has not been contacted by any of the attorneys in the lawsuit, [has] not been served and has not been contacted by any governmental agency,” Singer said.
“If Alex Varanos told people that [Starpoly] was Grammer’s network, then it was done without Grammer’s authorization, and against Grammer’s strenuous objections.
“The parties and attorneys who sued Grammer on these fictional claims will be exposed to significant liability for malicious prosecution.”