2 White Plains men charged in concert scam

Two White Plains men were charged with scamming a West Coast concert investor with a promised appearance by country songbird Taylor Swift.

Emmanuel "Kojo" Bentil, a White Plains attorney, and Derrick "Suits" Robinson, also of White Plains, allegedly tried to swindle Los Angeles investor Kachick Mouradian with an agreement that Swift would perform March 9 in Phoenix.

The alleged swindle came at a tune of $325,000.

The suspects found themselves singing the blues after they were apprehended and charged in White Plains City Court with individual felony counts of second-degree grand larceny and second-degree criminal possession of a forged instrument.

Bentil, 47, and Robinson, 29, allegedly presented Mouradian with two documents with the forged signature of Michael Schweiger, the CEO of the Central Entertainment Group, or CEG Talent, in New York.

The District Attorney's Office said the first document was an "artist offer letter" and the second was a "performance agreement" in exchange for $500,000.

But CEG Talent never was authorized to represent Swift. When Mouradian found out and confronted Bentil, the lawyer returned $150,000 to him, according to officials.

Bail was set at $100,000 for Bentil and $5,000 for Robinson.

If convicted, the suspects could face up to 15 years in prison on the second-degree grand larceny charge. Bentil also could face disbarment if he is convicted of one or both felony counts.

Bentil is due back in court on April 11, and Robinson has an April 2 court date. But Bentil's attorney issued a statement before the appearance that his client knew nothing of the scheme and that Robinson was the only guilty party. Robinson's attorney countered with his own statement, saying Robinson is not guilty but not commenting on Bentil's claim.