‘To Catch a Predator’ Host Chris Hansen Accused of Issuing Bad Checks

Chris Hansen, the host of the show To Catch a Predator, is facing criminal charges for allegedly issuing several bad checks after making a $13,000 purchase from a Connecticut vendor, police announced Wednesday.

Authorities charged Hansen, 59, of Shippan, Connecticut, on Monday with “issuing a bad check” after he surrendered himself to the police.

Police say he was released and signed a statement promising to appear in court.

Hansen reportedly ordered $12,998.05 worth of 650 vinyl decals, 355 ceramic mugs, and 288 T-shirts in 2017 from the marketing materials vendor Promotional Sales Limited, owned by Peter Psichopaidas.

The 59-year-old agreed to pay for the order ahead of time before the goods were shipped. An employee for Hansen sent to a check to cover the items three months after the business owner sent invoices for the marketing materials.

The check bounced, and Hansen allegedly apologized to Psichopaidas while promising to pay for part of what he owed.

Psichopaidas filed a police complaint with authorities in 2017 after not receiving payment for the items.

Investigators reached out to Hansen, who told authorities he would make a statement at the Stamford, Connecticut, police station. Hansen never showed up to the station.

The journalist and television show host then claimed his wife would send the check, but she never delivered it, the Stamford Advocate reported.

When Psichopaidas finally received the $13,200 check to cover the items in 2018, the check bounced, according to an arrest affidavit. Hansen then allegedly claimed in an email to Psichopaidas that he “sold a boat” to cover the costs of the materials.

“Peter … I truly thought I had this covered,” the television host wrote in the email, according to the arrest affidavit. “I am scrambling to get it done. Please give me till the end of the day. I sold a boat to cover the rest of this and need to pick up the payment this afternoon.”

Hansen made his claim to fame by hosting the MSNBC show To Catch a Predator between 2004 and 2007, and was also known for hosting the syndicated show Crime Watch Daily and Investigation Discovery’s Killer Instinct.