MIDTOWN — He must have seen The Producers one too many times.
A pseudo Broadway producer was arrested Friday and accused of stealing $165,000 from people who thought they were investing in a one-woman show starring Tony-nominated actress Lupita Nyong’o, Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr. announced.
Roland Scahill, 41, kept money he'd got from seven investors which he'd said would be used to produce the life story of Metropolitan Opera prima donna Kathleen Battle, the DA said.
He claimed he'd already secured contracts with Nyong’o, who won an Academy Award for her performance in “12 Years a Slave,” as well as The Booth Theater. Netflix would would supposedly stream the first performance, the DA said.
But Netflix, Nyong’o, Battle and The Booth had never even been contacted by Scahill, the DA said.
Scahill sold shares at $15,000 a pop from October 2014 until January 2015, when he informed investors that Netflix had agreed to film a performance of The KB Project and asked for another round of funding.
Several investors demanded their money back in the fall of 2015 after Scahill couldn't provide any proof of a production. Scahill sent investors checks — but they quickly bounced due to lack of funds — and then he stopped returning phone calls, the DA said.
The DA contends that Scahill used the money to buy $129,000 in stocks and $10,000 worth of food, drink and entertainment as well as pay off $23,000 in credit card debt and $18,000 in rent.
Scahill was arrested and charged with eight counts of grand larceny, scheming to defraud and criminal possession of stolen property on Aug. 19, the DA said.
Scahill pleaded not guilty and maintains his innocence, according to his attorney, James Devita, who declined to comment further.
Bail was set at $100,000 and Scahill is expected to next appear in New York Supreme Court on Sept. 20.
Vance said in a statement he would work to safeguard New York City’s entertainment industry.
“This indictment closes the curtain on Roland Scahill’s phantom production,” he said.
