Corbett
HARRISBURG, Pa. (Legal Newsline) - Pennsylvania Attorney General Tom Corbett has made the pages of ESPN.com for his arrest of a professional wrestler/male escort who allegedly filed a false injury claim against a Levittown 7-Eleven.
Tuesday, columnist Rick Reilly referenced a Feb. 25 press release posted on Corbett's Web site about Michael Taris, against whom Corbett has levied criminal charges of insurance fraud and attempted theft by deception.
Reilly's post can be seen on his "Go Fish" page, reserved for quick ideas not featured in his usual column.
Corbett's release says Taris filed an injury claim with 7-Eleven stating that he slipped on a puddle of coffee and injured his back, neck and legs. At the time, he wrestled for the World Wide Wrestling Alliance.
Taris' complaint said he was unable to work, roughhouse, play with his song, cut grass and sit or stand for long periods of time because of the slip.
Corbett says his office took surveillance footage of Taris wrestling shortly after the accident. Taris was thrown out of the ring, jumping off the ropes and landing on other wrestlers, he says. The release even provides pictures of Taris, now with the National Wrestling Superstars.
"Mr. Taris was hoping to make fast, easy money at the expense of others," Corbett said. "Fortunately, his scheme was discovered and he was never able to profit from his deception."
Reilly said Taris should be thrown in a lake, as his son Jake has the duty of deciding which of his fraternity brothers should be thrown in the lake behind their house "based on that week's transgressions."
"You're not particularly smart, are you, Michael?" Reilly wrote.
"You've been charged with insurance fraud and criminal attempted theft by deception. So into the lake you go, Mikey. But just for us, could you make it a triple-jump moonsault?"
From Legal Newsline: Reach John O'Brien by e-mail at john@legalnewsline.com.