An indecent proposal, allegedly, took place between a Brazilian actress and a NHL team owner.
Greice Santo, a Brazilian actress, has accused Edmonton Oilers owner and Silver Pictures financier David Katz of offering her money and roles in exchange for sex.
According to Variety, Santo, “…alleges that she was twice lured to the hotel room of Daryl Katz, the Canadian billionaire who owns the Edmonton Oilers, with promises that he could help her acting career. Santo says that although she spurned Katz’s advances, she later received two wire transfers totaling $35,000. In an interview, she said that such behavior is typical in Hollywood.”
Also according to Variety, “The allegations were first disclosed in a defamation lawsuit filed Monday in New York by Santo’s husband, R.J. Cipriani, against a crisis consulting firm hired to represent Katz. Cipriani, a professional gambler and FBI informant, alleges that Glenn Bunting, president of G.F. Bunting & Co., tarnished his reputation in order kill a story about Katz in the New York Post.”
Not surprisingly, Katz has a different version of the relationship between himself and Santo:
Katz’s attorneys have accused Cipriani and Santo of attempting to extort $3 million from Katz as the price for keeping quiet, according to Variety. Katz does not deny meeting with Santo, but has alleged that some elements of her story have been misconstrued. In addition to airing sordid details from the entertainment world, the lawsuit also spotlights the role of crisis consulting firms, which are often hired to clean up damaging stories for wealthy clients. Cipriani portrays himself as a longtime reliable source for the New York Post. In the suit, he accuses Bunting of damaging his relationship with a New York Post editor by accusing Cipriani of extortion, which Cipriani denies. The Post ultimately did not run a story on Katz.
“A media consultant can’t go around accusing people of crimes just to kill a story,” Cipriani’s attorney, Peter Gleason, told Variety, adding that publications have become increasingly gunshy in the wake of the Hulk Hogan lawsuit, which bankrupted Gawker. “Everybody is running scared,” he said.
Santo’s contact with Katz began in 2015, when she appeared on a photo shoot in Hawaii with Viva Glam magazine. While in Hawaii, Santo met Canadian executive Michael Gelmon, who suggested that she meet his cousin, Daryl Katz. According to Santo’s statement contained in her lawsuit, she was then invited to Katz’s suite at the Four Seasons, with the promise that Katz would help advance her career.
Then, according to Santo, “Katz said he could put me in a big role that would change my life and then switched the conversation and said he rather give me money,” Santo wrote [in a statement].
According to Santo, Katz said, “I’m talking about millions… This would help your family and help you so you won’t struggle.”
Santo said she asked what she would have to do in exchange, and was told, “I’m looking for companionship and sex.”
Santo claims she refused Katz’s offer and walked out of the room. However, Katz’s cousin, Gelmon, did attempt to facilitate another meeting between the two. At one point, Santo sent Gelmon a photo of a Mexican supermodel in an attempt to divert his attention.
According to Variety, Gelmon responded, “There is no shortage of super modles (sic) who want to be with my cousin,” Gelmon wrote. “But he is very picky and she does not meet his standards. He prefers u.”
She also got text messages from Katz, who introduced himself as her “Fairy Godfather.” The subject turned to money, and she suggested he make a charitable donation.
“To the extent we see each other I would prefer to give you money,” he wrote. “Whatever you decide to do with it is your choice.”
Also in the Variety story, we learn that Santo’s husband, R.J. Cipriani, once pled guilty to insurance fraud. Cipriani has also been banned from casinos and was a key FBI informant in the takedown of a gambling ring.
Katz’s attorney claims that Cipriani tried to extort the NHL owner for $3 million to keep quiet. For her part, Santo claims she was offered roles in films in exchange for silence, but declined.
The entire story can be read here.
Follow Dylan Gwinn on Twitter: @themightygwinn
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