According to a PR firm he hired, former scam artist turned celebrity psychic Thomas John is acting shady again. The ‘Manhattan Medium’ hired a Californian public relations firm to help give his image a whole new makeover, but they claim he never paid for their services. The shady self-proclaimed psychic hired PR firm ZTPR to fix his image last year after the Daily News reported his history of scamming people on Craigslist.
According to court documents, the company did its part, but John never paid the $3,046.12 bill. The court papers read, “ZTPR completed all the services of helping him build and exaggerate in the press his public profile as a believable psychic medium.” John Thomas Flanagan used to be well-known in Chicago as a drag queen named Lady Vera Parker. In 2009 he was caught making and posting fake Craigslist ads.
He pretended to have apartments for rent to steal the security deposits from hopeful renters. The scamming psychic told The News that he and ZTPR have worked out a settlement, but according to the company, they have yet to finalize anything and are still working out a deal. “The matter has already been settled out of court,” said the fraudster in a statement. “I’ve worked with a number of publicists with great success and respect the profession tremendously.”
Zack Teperman, president of ZTPR, states that the company’s lawyers are still reviewing the matter. “Our legal team is currently finalizing an out-of-court settlement with Mr. Flanagan,” he said in a statement. “We will have no further comment.” John claimed to have foreseen Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes’ divorce and Whitney Houston’s death.
John’s Scam Affected A Lot Of People
Several websites show John’s number and have statements from numerous victims conned by his nationwide security deposit scam. After he pleaded guilty to theft and computer fraud, John dropped his last name and got a new start as a psychic medium. Last year he was interviewed with The News, in which he said, “It was basically something I did out of necessity. I’ve turned my life around since then.”
Now, 32-year-old John claims to be able to communicate with spirits and works as a traveling medium. Earlier this year, he appeared on “Extra,” where he made 2016 celebrity predictions. He was doing this while still working with and under contract with ZTPR. Last month he did an interview where he claimed to have communicated with deceased Playboy Playmate Anna Nicole Smith. He states she told him she blames Howard K. Stern for her death. Stern was Smith’s agent and former lover.
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