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MyspaceSteven Kunes, the former Montecito resident and Hollywood screenwriter-turned-conman, pleaded guilty last week to passing bad checks and stealing from a onetime friend. As part of a deal struck with prosecutors, Kunes will be sentenced to five years behind bars unless he makes restitution to his victims, in which case he’ll be given a four-year term.
Kunes admitted to creating fake checks on his computer – totaling $6,848 – and depositing them at Montecito Bank & Trust. Though he was able to withdraw the funds, the bank eventually caught wind of the caper and alerted authorities. Kunes, who’s served two prior prison terms for similar crimes, also said he indeed convinced his friend, former Cafe Buenos Aires owner Wally Ronchietto, to give him $2,600 for a made-up movie deal. The official charges levied against Kunes in the two cases were felony commercial burglary and felony grand theft by false pretenses.
He’s slated to be sentenced by Judge Clifford Anderson on February 1. In the meantime, Kunes will remain in custody, explained prosecutor Brian Cota, who also said that because of AB 109 – which changed the guidelines for inmate placement in state prisons and county jails – he will serve his time in Santa Barbara County Jail. He’ll likely be released early due to lack of space at the overcrowded facility, Cota went on. The restitution money, should it materialize, will reportedly come from one of Kunes’s family members.
Kunes tried to avoid prosecution by skipping his court dates in August and fleeing to New Jersey with his girlfriend. After his last no-show, a judge issued a $200,000 bench warrant for his arrest. New Jersey police were alerted to his presence and arrested him in September.
Upon Kunes’s original arrest last March, it was discovered that many of the unsolicited commentaries he submitted to various publications around town — Santa Barbara News-Press, Noozhawk, and The Independent — had been largely plagiarized. The newspapers have since removed his writings from their websites.
Related Links
- Original report on Steven Kunes [ March 31, 2011 ]
- Judge Issues Warrant for Scamming Screenwriter [ August 27, 2011 ]
- Wanted Santa Barbara Man Arrested in New Jersey [ September 20, 2011 ]
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Comments
#WINNER! :) henry
hank (anonymous profile)
November 29, 2011 at 8 p.m. (Suggest removal)
If you voluntarily haven't written a script in 30 plus years are you still a screenwriter?
Ken_Volok (anonymous profile)
November 29, 2011 at 8:37 p.m. (Suggest removal)
KenV: "If you voluntarily haven't written a script in 30 plus years are you still a screenwriter?"
HAHAHAHA! Well, I guess he WAS writing a script for himself :) henry
hank (anonymous profile)
November 29, 2011 at 10:25 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Just dawns on me, this guy is WHITE! When's DonMcD gonna come on here w/ his usual bitterness to condemn whitey's criminal ways? :) henry
hank (anonymous profile)
November 30, 2011 at 10:15 a.m. (Suggest removal)
I know people that this guy scammed. He did a lot of damage. He is seriously crazy and he really needs to be in the loony bin for a good long time. Does California have still have a loony bin?
emenzies (Elizabeth Menzies)
November 30, 2011 at 11:03 a.m. (Suggest removal)
This guy should do more than 4 or 5 years as a recidivist criminal.
What sane person would have given this guy $2,600 for a movie deal? I have it on good authority that it usually takes slightly more money to buy into movie deals...I'm just sayin'...
italiansurg (anonymous profile)
November 30, 2011 at 12:34 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Actually it doesn't take more and can be even less money to buy into a film, it just depends on the project. I don't think the victim should be blamed.
Ken_Volok (anonymous profile)
November 30, 2011 at 2:05 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Steven Kunes was a promising young writer with many accomplishments. Most recently he wrote a play, Hopeless Romantic, which received favorable reviews after it's one performance at a local theater. Saying the he hasn't written anything original in the last 30 years is false and unfair.
It is nearly impossible to earn a living as a freelance writer. Only a handful achieve financial success. Unfortunately, this man resorted to illegal activities. He created a false list of accomplishments and friends. He planted untruthful stories and pictures. He said that he sold an unproduced play for $1 Million. Not. He inferred that he was friends with Jay Leno, Steven Speilberg, Paul Sorvino by posting photos taken with them. Not. He set up a Facebook page for Dustin Hoffman and then added himself as a friend and posted messages back and forth. Dustin Hoffman has never heard of Steven Kunes.
This is the life of a man that is mentally ill. He has committed crimes. He has pled guilty to those crimes. He is in jail serving time for those crimes.
It is easy to kick someone when they are down.
Juliet12 (anonymous profile)
December 3, 2011 at 2:28 p.m. (Suggest removal)
This comment is for Elizabeth Menzies. You know people who have been victimized. Why haven't they made police reports? Your comments cannot be taken seriously because they are not backed by fact.
Juliet12 (anonymous profile)
December 14, 2011 at 6:59 p.m. (Suggest removal)
@Juliet12.
They did...that is how he was convicted.
Hmmm
emenzies (Elizabeth Menzies)
December 31, 2011 at 2:42 p.m. (Suggest removal)
Okay. He is in jail serving time for his crimes. Once that is over and he gets out, his debt is paid. No need to further bash him. His future conduct will determine the outcome of the remainder of his life. He is not a murdered or child abuser or sex offender. To be so bitter, it sounds like you are either a former wife or girlfriend. Move on. It's a new year!
Juliet12 (anonymous profile)
January 6, 2012 at 8:55 a.m. (Suggest removal)