Gothamist
A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.
Gothamist
Listen Live
News
Ponzi Schemer's Pole Dancing Wife Won't Bail Him Out
By
John Del Signore
Published Jul 27, 2010
Modified Jul 27, 2010
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
Never miss a story
Email address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .
By
John Del Signore
Published Jul 27, 2010
Modified Jul 27, 2010
Share
FacebookTwitterRedditEmail
We rely on your support to make local news available to all
Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Celebrity accountant-turned-alleged Ponzi scammer Kenneth Starr has been stuck in Federal custody since the end of May, because he's had a hard time raising the $2 million bond to get him out. His lawyers are still trying to bail Starr out, having won commitments from two brothers and a friend, but prosecutors are fighting to keep Starr in custody, deeming him a flight risk. To support this claim, prosecutors filed a motion saying that it's "telling that his wife has not offered to sign any such bond, particularly since, according to multiple witnesses interviewed by the government, she is the only individual who has any modicum of suasion over the defendant." Gosh, how could that ungrateful ex-stripper refuse to rescue her poor, incarcerated husband?
A lawyer for Diane Passage, Starr's third wife, explains, "They have frozen all her accounts and then wonder why she has no funds to post for bail. If they release her funds, she can post them." (For good measure, Passage's lawyer also called the prosecution's remarks "downright stupid.") But surely Passage has a few hundred thousand in crumpled singles laying around that she could toss in?
Tagged
diane passage
kenneth starr
ponzi scheme
John Del Signore
Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.
Read more
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
MORE news
NYC Council hearing to put AI risks in the spotlight
Employees from four tech companies, as well as whistleblowers, are scheduled to speak to the City Council on the dangers of AI.
By
Carol Chen
Published Oct 5, 2026 at 4:00 a.m. ET
A sixth person dies after falling ill in NYPD custody this year
The 54-year-old was hospitalized twice after his arrest Friday, police said.
By
Ryan Kost
News
A sixth person dies after falling ill in NYPD custody this year
The 54-year-old was hospitalized twice after his arrest Friday, police said.
By
Ryan Kost
NJ reports first West Nile Virus death of the year
By
Michael Sol Warren
NY's prison system is in crisis. It's driving staff away from the job.
By
Emily Russell
NYPD searching for suspect after fatal stabbing in Queens
By
Ben Feuerherd
Never miss a story
Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.
Sign upEmail address
By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .