All language subtitles for American Greed s11e15 Red Carpet Rip Off

In this episode of American Greed. Y
'all feeling good?

Meet professional saxophonist Donald Ski
Johnson.

He's a recording artist and red carpet
fixture.

Y 'all looking better than me, man.

Who runs the Jazz for Life Foundation.

But the feds say Johnson's charity helps
no one but himself.

The socks, the conscience, money was
being taken from these charities and it

going to line his own pocket.

In an exclusive interview, Johnson
insists he's no scammer and he's tired

investigators calling him a con man.

They don't respect me as an artist.

They think anything I do should be free.
And the minute I ask for a dollar, it's

a scam.

Johnson targets charity auctions by
donating star -studded trips with red

access. But Ski Johnson's VIP treatment
is a mirage.

You keep telling yourself, like, no,
this isn't really happening.

And you know, as an adult, you're
thinking, oh, yeah, it is.

Donald Key Johnson is a busy man.

He's a self -proclaimed jazz superstar
who appears to be living the high life.

Shooting music videos.

Promoting his album.

And cultivating a powerful online
presence.

He seems to be everywhere, with
everyone.

Promoting his music.

his own line of golf apparel, and even
his very own arcade game, the sax

machine.

But it's his Jazz for Life Foundation
that keeps him moving.

Help me bring about awareness to cancer.

Support the Jazz for Life Foundation.

He travels all across the United States
for the foundation, performing at

charity events.

But some believe the only cause Ski
Johnson really supports is Ski Johnson.

And it all comes to a head in Butte,
Montana.

It's July 2015.

And while Butte isn't exactly celebrity
central, a self -proclaimed jazz

superstar is making an appearance over
at the federal courthouse.

Ski Johnson has just been convicted of
one count of wire fraud for his

involvement in a charity event
benefiting big brothers, big sisters.

I never spoke in public about it.

It was painful.

I mean, I'm just a jazz artist.

But to think that the FBI is spending
all this

time and resources and money on you, I'm
like, Ski, what did you do?

Four years before finding himself in the
hot seat in Montana, Ski Johnson causes

a stir in Seattle, Washington.

Capitol Hill is just right up across the
way. That's where a lot of great bars

and restaurants are.

Andy Caruso is a Seattle entrepreneur.

In 2011, he runs the Seattle Nightlife
Facebook page when he is contacted by a

man named Larry Toy.

So I wanted it to be about not just a
platform for myself, but a platform to

able to share all the cool events that
were happening in town.

And this guy named Larry Toy reached out
to me about this Jazz for Life

Foundation, and they wanted to do a big
charity event in Seattle.

Toy explains he's the manager for Ski
Johnson, the celebrity saxophonist

the Jazz for Life Foundation.

Caruso believes proceeds will go to the
American Cancer Society.

And Toy tells him, A -list celebrities
are already on board.

And it sounded almost too good to be
true, but, you know, it's Michael

James Earl Jones, and people like that
coming. But, hey, Seattle's growing, and

people are moving up here, and, you
know, maybe it's true.

After the call, Caruso does a web search
on Ski and finds a YouTube page and

official website portraying Ski Johnson
as a Billboard number one artist.

who rubbed shoulders with the rich,
famous, and powerful, regaling red

with his take on jazz,

serenading A -list stars like

Taraji P. Henson and Alfre Woodard.

They also mentioned that they did have
the American Cancer Society on board,

they needed help connecting with local
businesses and getting the word out

the charity event.

Caruso decides to donate his services to
the car and begins spreading the word

that Michael Douglas and James Earl
Jones will appear at the Black Tie Gala

February 19, 2011.

Caruso says Toy also asks him for a list
of Seattle's big names.

We felt like if he invited local
celebrities, local social influencers,

more people would want to buy tickets.

So I was just like, oh, there's this
person, that person, or that person. We

just threw out a bunch of names
randomly, Kathy Gertson being one of

Good afternoon, I'm Kathy Gertson. Kathy
Gertson is a beloved news anchor at

KOMO -TV, who has been battling
recurrent brain tumors since 1998.

A Seattle native and local
philanthropist, Gertson will later pass

But on February 8th of 2011, Caruso
believes she's coming to the cancer

fundraiser. That day, he gets a text
from Larry Toy saying Kathy Gertson is

board 100%. The gala is now just 11 days
away.

So that went out on social media, and
then one of my friends who actually

the family told me that...

Kathy Gerson definitely wasn't coming to
the event, and she didn't know anything

about it.

Unbeknownst to Caruso, Gerson has been
in the hospital recovering from brain

surgery.

Then Caruso says Toy reaches out again.

And he was asking for money for the down
deposit for the W Hotel.

And I'm thinking to myself at this
point, I'm like, what kind of an

would reach out to a week before the
event and not have the money to put up

front for the event, even after they
already had ticket sales coming in?

Caruso remains cordial with Toy, but now
fears the Jazz for Light event is a

scam. So he calls Seattle journalists
for help, including Gertson Station KOMO

-TV. They reach representatives for
Michael Douglas and James Earl Jones,

confirm they know nothing about the
fundraiser or Ski Johnson.

The saxophonist has already arranged a
press conference upon arriving in

to promote his gala event.

He had reached out to the local media
and he's like, I'm coming to town. Roll

the red carpet for me.

So when Ski Johnson arrives, he walks
into an ambush.

And there's no manager named Larry Toy
by his side to help him out.

Did you speak with them?

The people who represent them.

Did you speak with them?

Well, no, I did not have a conversation
with Michael Douglas. Well, I did.

It's my testimony. I had a conversation
with him. And he will be here this

weekend? I, my testimony is that he,
that James Earl Jones, that they were

invited and I wanted them and I invited
them to come to this event.

I'll sit next to my friend and I had
this crazy idea in my mind because I

the voice of Ski Johnson and it sounded
exactly the same as Larry Toy.

I'm like, this couldn't get any crazier.
I'm like, is this for real? I'm going

to call Larry Toy right now on my phone.

While he's talking.

And I called Larry Toy's phone number.
And whatever phone was on Ski Johnson

rang. I mean, I can't say that. But you
are saying that. We're just sitting in

the corner just freaking out. Like,
Larry Toy is Ski Johnson. Ski Johnson is

Larry Toy.

Or for some weird circumstance, somehow
he had Larry Toy's personal phone on

him. And I'm like, and they sound
exactly the same.

And it's a scam.

Ski Johnson tells American Greed
Caruso's story about the W Hotel deposit

made up.

Johnson also denies confirming the
appearances of Michael Douglas and James

Jones, saying the materials he provided
to Caruso made no mention of the stars.

This is a copy of the flyer that we
created.

This is a posting from Facebook that we
started posting.

Around that time.

Has nothing about any of that.

But what about that text saying Kathy
Gertzen is on board 100 %?

There's a whole text.

We may have worded it wrong. We felt she
was on board 100 % partially by what

was said, but we ended the sentence
saying we're still waiting to hear final

confirmation.

Gertson's colleagues at KOMO News don't
buy that explanation.

You take a shot at the promoters and
they've given us evidence that shows

where you make statements about Kathy
Gertson being ready. She's in the

when you say that she's good to go.

We've checked with Michael Douglas.

You guys never contacted Michael
Douglas. He kept on changing his story

eventually just called off the event and
left town.

The $13 ,000 raised has already been
transferred to Johnson's bank account.

As for the mysterious Larry Toy, Ski
Johnson admits the name belongs to an

friend.

Johnson sees use of an alias as a
helpful tactic when booking work as a

performer, making negotiating perks less
awkward.

Federal investigators contend Ski
Johnson has a pattern of hiding behind

aliases, and not just Larry Toy.

He would call using the aliases of
either Kevin Wright or Richard Sims,

representing Ski Johnson, and in reality
that was Ski Johnson himself.

Next on American Greed.

Come along on a spectacular trip to the
Grammy Awards with Ski Johnson's idea of

VIP treatment.

I'm just watching what's unfolding in
front of me and I'm thinking, oh no,

is not good. This is not good.

Investigators say in late 2011, Ski
Johnson again poses as his own manager.

This time, he's Kevin Wright, to book a
performance at a hospice fundraiser in

Palm Beach, Florida.

Wright says Johnson is a three -time
Grammy nominee, who was also interested

donating a trip to the 2012 Grammy
Awards.

When donors give items to charity
auctions, they usually require nothing

return. The charities get to keep 100 %
of the proceeds raised by the item's

sale. However, when the Jazz for Life
Foundation donates Grammy tickets, it

requires the partner charity to agree to
split the proceeds.

Jazz for Life keeps one half, and the
partner charity gets the other.

But Johnson acknowledges he uses Jazz
for Life's share to reimburse himself

the initial purchase of the tickets and
to cover the luxurious perks included in

the trip package.

You have to purchase Grammy tickets, you
have to have limo rides, you have to

have hotels. These things are expensive.

I mean, it's not no pick -up -and -drop
-off.

I wish.

Beth Charbonneau and her husband, Larry,
placed the winning bid at the hospice

event. a $12 ,000 donation.

We knew we would end up supporting the
organization that night regardless, but

we ended up getting in a bidding war
with another couple, and Larry was bound

and determined that he was going to send
me to the Grammy Awards.

Beth Charbonneau plans to invite her
best friend Mary Ann King on the trip,

which will also include a hotel stay in
Los Angeles.

The women arrive at their hotel on
Friday afternoon, February 10th.

When I checked in, they told me they had
to take my credit card, and I didn't

understand why, because it was supposed
to be paid for. So they told me that Mr.

Johnson had not checked in yet, and that
when he did, they would make sure they

switched out the credit card.

Charbonneau says when Johnson arrives
later that day, he promises to take care

of the credit card issue.

And suggests they all meet up for dinner
later that night.

It got to be like 7 o 'clock, 8 o
'clock, 9 o 'clock. We never heard from

Johnson. So we didn't end up going out
that night.

The women bump into Johnson the next
morning in the hotel lobby.

He was on his phone trying to secure two
more tickets to the Grammy Awards.

So Marianne had heard more of the
conversation I had and she looked at me

she said, oh, I hope that has nothing to
do with us.

When he got off the phone and we said to
him, like, you know, we didn't get a

chance to see you last night because you
never called us for dinner. He said,

well, I got tied up and I was really
busy. So I, you know, I apologize. But,

know, it looks like we're going to try
to go over to the Clive Davis party

tonight.

But once again, their plans change.

Death of a superstar.

There was word that Whitney Houston had.

passed away.

Whitney Houston was supposed to be here
at the Beverly Hilton for Clive Davis's

famous pre -Grammy party. Instead, this
is where she died.

When we saw Mr.

Johnson, he told us we weren't going to
go anywhere because they probably

weren't going to have the party and he
couldn't go. He was extremely upset that

she had passed and he was getting
together with some of his friends.

In this case, Johnson has an easy way
out, whether he needs it or not.

February 12, 2012.

It's the day of the Grammy Awards in Los
Angeles.

The biggest honors in American music.

Beth Charbonneau says Johnson has been
promising a dazzling star -studded

weekend. But so far, all he's delivered
is disappointment.

We got up Sunday morning early. We
decided to go for a power walk down

Monica Beach.

We were maybe out about 15 minutes, and
I slid off the side of the sidewalk into

the sand, and I fell, and I broke my
wrist.

She told me there was climbing
mountains, and she fell and broke her

I was rushed to the hospital, and she
was not attending.

Not attending?

Charbonneau says that has never been the
case.

The very last minute, she decides, well,
I'm coming.

I assumed she wasn't coming.

So I had to move some things around.

get her tickets from, you know, there's
a lot of places you can get tickets

there, publicist, so on.

Hours later, they're dressed to the
nines and waiting for Steve Johnson to

shepherd them to the show.

We went to get in the limousine, and the
limousine was, like, so beat up, and

the overhead material in the upper part
of the roof was kind of torn, and then

when they went to offer drinks, it
opened up this little...

cooler they had brought with them and
their own bottles of liquor with these

plastic cups. I looked at Marianne, and
I'm thinking, something doesn't feel

right. I was sitting in there, my arms
in a sling. I'm leaning back, and I'm

just watching what's unfolding in front
of me in the limpy, and I'm thinking,

oh, no, this is not good. This is not
good.

Then she says Ski Johnson surprises the
women by announcing they've got more

people to pick up.

Then this couple, two couples actually,
got into the limousine with us and we

headed out to the Staples Center.

I was kind of sitting back.

Marianne was having a conversation with
one of the gals and she was saying that

they had been the recipients of another
auction with him and they had tickets to

go to the Grammy Awards.

So I was, I remember looking at Marianne
thinking, okay, this is just getting

crazier as time goes on.

Next on American Greed, seeing red on
the red carpet.

You keep telling yourself, no, this
isn't really happening.

And you know, as an adult, you're
thinking, oh, yeah, it is.

Saxophonist Guy Johnson is in a
limousine.

on his way to the 2012 Grammy Awards.

He's joined by donors who have won
Grammy tickets he's offered at charity

auctions. And they're all headed towards
the Staples Center.

We pull up to where the limousines are
going in for the red carpet, and he

instructs the driver to go around the
other side of the building.

Rather than taking their place in the
official line, she says they park in a

across the street and then Johnson
sneaks the group in through a side door.

He knew the security guard. He talked to
him. The guy opened the door. The

gentleman at the tent, it's actually a
tent, it's not a door.

He says, you guys have your tickets?

Here's our tickets.

They walked in.

And once we got in, we realized we were
further down the red carpet. We were not

in the actual beginning of the red
carpet. So in essence, he was sneaking

the corner side door.

I'm trying to figure out how could I
sneak on to the red carpet when I have

tickets in my hand?

How could I do that?

Well, the Recording Academy reserves the
red carpet for nominees, honorees,

presenters and performers.

And Ski Johnson isn't one of them.

So we got in.

We walked down the red carpet.

You're seeing these famous people walk
past you and everybody's coming out to

talk to them. And then nobody was coming
out to interview Ski Johnson.

And I remember saying to Miriam, well,
that's odd.

And then more and more when you realized
that nobody was paying attention to

him, you realize that, you know, he's
just, he's a nobody.

He's a nobody.

And in that little world, he didn't
pretend to be somebody. He just

be the person on the sidelines.

That is, until he reaches the final
stretch of the red carpet.

What's up, y 'all?

Hey, what's going on?

Y 'all feeling good?

Y 'all want some jazz? Yeah!

After Ski Johnson's impromptu
performance, the group leaves the red

head toward the event entrance.

So we went to the first entrance, and he
started talking about didn't have our

tickets, his PR person hadn't shown up
with the tickets.

She says Ski Johnson tries the same
story at a second entrance, and then a

third. You keep telling yourself, like,
no, this isn't really happening.

And you know, as an adult, you're
thinking, oh, yeah, it is.

But you keep hoping, like, you're going
to give somebody the benefit of the

doubt because maybe it is crazy, all
these things you hear about L .A., and

maybe there was a snappy with the
tickets, but then you realize, no, no,

a big con.

She remembers the call they'd overheard
back at the hotel and realizes she and

Mary Ann are not getting into the Grammy
Awards.

And at this point, Marion and I realized
that this whole thing, what we had

heard on the phone and him trying to
secure tickets was, in fact, he didn't

our tickets.

We just said, we've had enough. Just get
away from us.

So what happened to the women's tickets?

Well, we did have tickets.

And what happened was that we had to,
the publicist that we were working with

had to bring the tickets over.

But I think she was in a really bad mood
because things were just,

when we got the call that she wasn't
going to come, we had to turn, we had

mean, this was earlier, but we had to
get to her at the last minute. So we

literally running to get to the red
carpet because the red carpet was going

close.

And I, of course, that was important for
me to be on the red carpet and promote.

The next morning, while checking out,
Charbonneau says she discovers she has

been stuck with the bill.

It's the final insult.

Mr. Johnson had never given them his
credit card, so I was so upset with him.

There was no way I was going to then go
hunt Mr. Johnson down. I just figured at

this stage of the game, so much had
happened. I would just deal with this

I got back to Florida.

Johnson says he thought the Hospice
Foundation had taken care of

hotel stay and that he would later
reimburse the nonprofit from his half of

Jazz for Life money.

In fact, I didn't even know she had paid
for it.

After checking out, she has one last
encounter with Ski Johnson.

I was getting in the elevator.

Ski Johnson was coming off.

And he started to tell me how sorry I
was. It was a big mix -up, and I

I was probably not proud of it, but I
was very rude and told him if he didn't

get away from me, I was going to punch
him right in the nose.

At this point, I just wanted to get
home.

So Marianne and I just packed up our
stuff and left, left L .A.

After her nightmare trip, Hospice of
Palm Beach County Foundation apologizes

Charbonneau, returns her donation, and
reimburses her for the hotel.

Next on American Greed, a misstep in
Montana lands Key Johnson and Jazz for

under federal investigation.

So even though this is an account set up
specifically for Jazz for Life

Foundation, he's using it just as his
own personal account.

Three months after the 2012 Grammy
Awards, Ski Johnson contacts Big

Sisters in Bozeman, Montana, and offers
to appear at their Celebrity Golf

fundraiser at the luxurious Big Sky
Resort.

Johnson is still posing as Kevin Wright,
but according to investigators, Kevin

Wright has transformed into a Sony
Records representative, who is also

agent. He also represented that he had
Grammy tickets that he would be willing

to Provide to the charity to auction off
and agreed with them that they would

split the proceeds. Mr.

Johnson's charity called Jazz for Life
would receive half of the proceeds.

And who wouldn't want to auction off
Grammy tickets and go to the Grammys?

They paid for his expenses to come to
Montana.

The resort would then pay for him and
his manager to stay at the Big Scatter

Resort. Green fees, meals, cocktail
events, other expenses that would

extended to a celebrity.

Ski Johnson arrives, saxophone in tow.

What he doesn't bring, though, are those
Grammy tickets.

But they auctioned the tickets off
anyway, and they sold for a few thousand

dollars.

Fast forward to after the event.

The tickets never came, as promised. He
provided various excuses, and they

became suspicious.

Big Brothers Big Sisters reaches out to
the FBI, and Special Agent Greg Rice

takes the case.

He partners with Special Agent Brett
Siemens, a criminal investigator for the

Internal Revenue Service.

The agents say a pattern quickly
emerges.

in which Johnson searches online for
upcoming charity events around the

and cold calls their organizers.

Then, using an alias, he poses as
someone who represents celebrities who

interested in attending their events.

They say in Seattle, it's Michael
Douglas and James Earl Jones.

Other times, it's Halle Berry and Queen
Latifah. Later on, he would report to

the charity event.

These celebrities were no longer able to
attend, but Key Johnson was able to.

Yes, superstar saxophonist Key Johnson
would come through.

The investigation discovers alleged
victims from coast to coast.

Hospice of Palm Beach County, Big
Brothers, Big Sisters, Bozeman, Montana.

There was the Hilton Head charity golf
event. There was a children's burn

charity in the Midwest.

There was organizations that were
raising money for the Shriners, for

schools, homeless pets, veterans.

And yet, investigators learn there are
some kernels of truth. Well, at least

half -truth, in Ski Johnson's many
stories.

For starters, Ski Johnson is a recording
artist who's released several records.

His album, New Beginnings, hits number
one on Billboard's top contemporary jazz

album chart in July 2009.

And Johnson is a member of the Recording
Academy, but he's never been nominated

for a Grammy. They have no record of him
ever being a Grammy -nominated artist.

And they provided a letter to us that
essentially outlines that fact.

That letter was mailed to Johnson back
in 2012.

And in it, it just says, you're not
allowed to use that term.

And you're not a Grammy -nominated
artist.

Johnson acknowledges that he continued
to bill himself as Grammy -nominated,

despite having received the cease and
desist letter.

But he says he has proof he's not the
one who's lying.

These official Grammy ballots that say
I'm a Grammy nominee.

It says, I am pleased to enclose your
55th annual Grammy Awards nominating

ballot.

The entry list for selection of this
year's nomination is available online.

So I go online, and clearly, whose name
is this? Key Johnson.

The list does have Johnson's name on it
because it's an entry list.

It has the name of every artist who's
seeking a nomination.

So when I got the letter from this
attorney in 2012, I argued with him. I

you can't tell someone they're
nominated.

and then say, no, no, no, no, no.

What you're reading is not, no, no.

It doesn't mean that, like, you're an
idiot.

That's a con.

It's bigger than me.

It's bigger than all of us. It's bigger
than American Greed, this situation.

So at what point does behavior move from
being questionable to criminal?

It's certainly not a crime to promote
oneself, but it is a crime to make

misrepresentations in an attempt to
defraud anybody of money or property.

that's what the defendant did in this
case. He defrauded various charitable

organizations out of money that it would
not have spent had they known Ski

Johnson's true identity.

The feds maintain Donald Ski Johnson has
swindled more than $70 ,000 from at

least 15 organizations and 11 individual
donors.

As for Ski Johnson's cause, the Jazz for
Life Foundation... Jazz for Life is not

a registered charity.

It only appears as a name on a website
and nothing more.

So even though this is an account set up
specifically for Jazz for Life

Foundation, he's using it just as his
own personal account.

The FBI did a forensic analysis and
discovered that...

Of approximately $150 ,000 that he
received into that account over the

three years, he spent approximately $20
on charity.

But Johnson says they're missing the
point by misunderstanding the mission of

the Jazz for Life Foundation.

Jazz for Life, I always said, was a for
-profit foundation. Never a charity. We

wanted to be an organization, a for
-profit.

Foundation that works with other
charities in supporting them. By working

them, we're supporting them.

If I'm donating my time and my craft, I
don't have to pay for airfare and hotel.

So they would fly me out.

I would participate in the tournament.

I would perform.

There's a worth to my performance.

To belittle.

Like, what I'm contributing.

To do that to any artist is just... It's
bad.

And yet, on Johnson's website, as
recently as 2014, there is a donation

button on the Jazz for Life page.

Next on American Greed, a return trip to
the Grammy and a showdown with the Fed.

He said, this is what's coming to you.
You're going to be charged with wire

fraud,

mail fraud, and tax evasion.

Ski Johnson is planning a trip to L .A.
to attend the 2013 Grammy Awards with

another winner of Jazz for Life Grammy
tickets.

The gentleman who won the tickets called
me and said, Ski.

I'm going to give it to a friend of
mine.

And just give them the tickets when you
get out there.

Ski hops on a plane to L .A.

without realizing the FBI is working
with the Recording Academy to ruin his

carpet moment.

In February 2013, we contacted the
Recording Academy and they were very

help us and assist us with the
investigation.

The happy couple taking the place of the
auction winner.

are not who they seem to be.

We had undercover FBI agents meet with
him and we were able to observe Mr.

Johnson entering the venue in an
unauthorized manner.

Ski Johnson still has no idea he's under
investigation, let alone that he's been

hosting undercover agents.

The investigation continues from 2013 to
2014.

He continually was...

reaching out to charities almost to the
point that we couldn't keep up with him

to be one step ahead.

In 2014, Ski Johnson approaches the NFL
Players Association in Washington, D

.C., this time using the manager alias
Richard Sims.

He wanted to appear at their event and
ask them to pay his way, essentially, or

wanted to benefit financially from it.

Agent Rice gets wind of this and asks
the association for help.

They agreed to assist us in our
investigation and, at our request,

Johnson to come to a meeting.

Agents Rice and Siemens secretly listen
in while Johnson meets with the

association representatives in April
2014.

So I go into Rome, sit down, and they
started...

They started talking, talking to
Hollywood. We want to have Ski, by the

Can we get Queen Latifah?

You know, you guys do represent her, do
you? I said, I don't represent her.

She's a friend of mine. I can call her.

Johnson answers a few more questions,
but senses something is off and abruptly

leaves the meeting.

I'm announcing to me, the FBI is saying,
he's on the move, he's on the move,

he's on the move.

Special Agents Rison Seamans follow him
to a cafe next door.

We introduced ourselves, told him we'd
like to talk to him.

He seemed a little confused at first,
but said he was willing to come up and

interviewed.

They're asking me about nominations.

I said, they said, they told me he was
considered, but I think I'm nominated.

You can't do that.

So I asked him about Chats for Life,
and...

When an FBI agent approaches anyone,
they know the idea is to catch them off

guard.

They know that. They're trained to do
that.

We talked to him and he confessed to a
few things, that he was using the bank

account for his own purposes, that he
was using the aliases in an attempt to

promote his music business, I guess.

When I figured out what he was trying to
do, I said, look, I'm leaving.

And the nice guy, the two nice guys they
were trying to be, he took this letter

and he slammed it in my chest.

He says, you're going to be charged.
This is what's coming to you. You're

to be charged with fire fraud, mail
fraud and tax evasion.

I left.

The case moves forward.

And in November 2014, Ski Johnson is
indicted on one count of wire fraud.

Next, will even the conviction stop Ski
Johnson from announcing a new project?

The defendant was not remorseful for
what he was doing. In fact, he was

attempting to raise more money.

How's this feeling? I asked him, how's
this feeling?

In July 2015, jazz saxophonist Key
Johnson faces one count of felony wire

accused of a scheme to defraud in
Montana and elsewhere.

Witnesses have gathered from across the
country, ready to share their

experiences with the jury.

I went out to Montana to testify because
I was hoping at some point someone

is going to stop him.

I figured I would.

get behind what the FBI was doing and
hopefully teach this guy a lesson and

him behind bars so he couldn't hurt
other people anymore.

There was a gal from Sony Music and
somebody there representing the Grammy

Awards and their attorneys when we were
all sitting outside waiting to go in to

testify if possible.

The wire fraud charge centers on a July
17, 2012 email.

sent from Johnson on the East Coast to
Big Brothers Big Sisters in Montana,

which is considered an interstate wire
communication.

In it, Johnson assumes the Kevin Wright
identity.

What the government wanted to do, they
wanted to take the one email that I sent

to Montana, and everywhere else I've
been that flew me

and put me in a hotel, billed me for all
that.

So under the one wire fraud charge that
I got, they wanted to put everything

under there.

Just before the trial begins, the judge
rules he'll only hear testimony directly

concerning the 2012 Big Brothers Big
Sisters event.

Andy Caruso and Beth Charbonneau are not
permitted to testify at trial.

But the Grammys rep does get to speak.

One of the witnesses at trial was a
representative of the Recording Academy

made clear that these tickets were not
able to be resold. And in fact, if the

Recording Academy became aware that the
individual had purchased the tickets or

even if they were auctioned at a charity
event, they would not have been able to

get into the Grammy Award.

The jury also hears from members of Big
Brothers Big Sisters.

who testified that Johnson impersonated
his own manager, showed up at their

event without Grammy tickets, and lied
about being a Grammy nominee.

And they were operating under the belief
that he would be a quality musician.

They felt that the music was not to the
level of what they expected from a

Grammy -nominated artist.

The trial lasts just two days.

And on July 28, 2015, the jury convicts
Donald Mitchell Johnson.

better known as Ski Johnson of Felony
Wire Frog.

Sentencing is scheduled for November.

While he waits, Ski Johnson releases a
trailer online to raise money for his

latest endeavor, a tell -all
documentary.

Ski Johnson.

This show.

The self -named bad boy of jazz launched
the foundation Jazz for Life. In that

trailer, he...

touted his conviction and himself as
controversial.

So based upon that, the government's
position at that thing was that the

defendant was not remorseful for what he
was doing. In fact, he was attempting

to raise more money.

Okay. How's that feeling?

I asked him, how's that feeling?

What it is, they don't respect me as an
artist.

They think anything I do should be free.
And the minute I ask for a dollar, It's

a scam.

I have to earn for performing and going
to perform.

And if I do a documentary, I should
charge for it.

It's a movie. It's art.

At the November 2015 sentencing in
Butte, the prosecution requests that

be ordered to pay back $76 ,000, which
encompasses money from the Seattle

Beth Charbonneau's trip to the Grammys,
Big Brothers and Big Sisters in Bozeman,

Montana, and more than 20 other
instances.

But the judge rules he's only on the
hook for $5 ,648.

They also asked for Johnson to serve 16
months in prison, to be followed by

three years probation.

But instead, Ski Johnson gets five years
probation and six months house arrest.

I was a bit surprised with the leniency
of the sentence.

Unfortunately, I think he just got a
slap on the wrist.

I think it's wrong.

I believe wholeheartedly that something
else should have happened.

In April 2017,

a federal appeals court upholds
Johnson's conviction.

The court also rules that restitution
should be reconsidered, taking into

account victims outside of Montana.

Ski Johnson now notes online.

that his Jazz for Life Foundation is a
for -profit corporation.

Johnson continues to perform in the
Washington, D .C. metro area.

He plays Champagne Wednesdays at a
suburban hotel, and Jazz and Beer Date

Nights. at a Gordon Biersch restaurant.

He is planning an autumn 2017 release
for his film.

It's about telling the truth and telling
the whole story, and that's what my

documentary is. It's going to tell the
whole story.

But Andy Caruso has no interest in
hearing another story from Ski Johnson.

Part of the premise of this documentary
was how he's overcome challenges in his

life. And one of those challenges was
overcoming wrongful accusations from the

FBI and the IRS. The big bad government
was trying to come get him. You know

what? Quit playing the victim here
because, like, everybody else is the

around you in your life, you know, not
you.

So it's time to change your perspective.

Next. And money is no object. The limit
of the credit card was the only thing

that stopped them. The object is to get
more.

It was just boom, boom, boom, boom,
boom. Five rounds from the block 45.

the dark side.

Murphy Reed next on CNBC.

The early bird gets the worm. And the
corner office too.