“A dirty con man with an appetite for fraud,” reports the New York Post, “is cleaning up at the expense of Manhattan restaurant owners—and federal agents want to serve him his just desserts.”
Admittedly, it’s a pretty clever scam. The bunko artist, who operates under the assumed name of James Maffia, sent a letter to the Upper East Side restaurant Sistina claiming that a waiter had spilled coffee on him during a meal there and that he was now asking the restaurant to cover his cleaning bill of $38.50. On its face the demand seems reasonable, since “Maffia” was not seeking damages related to medical costs.