POLICE HOLD MAN IN TICKET SCAM BY FAKE CHARITY.

Byline: Alex Dobuzinskis Staff Writer

BURBANK - A 23-year-old Milwaukee man was in custody Thursday after he allegedly got free show tickets by posing as a representative of a fake charity for terminally ill children, Burbank police said.

Police believe Kristopher Schwoch also scammed individuals into buying tickets to the events over the Internet, using a Web site with photos of himself and celebrities to gain legitimacy.

But after customers paid Schwoch to attend the events, they arrived at will-call booths to find there were no tickets for them, according to police.

``His motive was to make a lot of money and be somebody. And when you hobnob with stars, you're somebody,'' said Lt. David Gabriel, a spokesman for the Burbank Police Department. ``So he gained sort of a double benefit out of it.''

Schwoch contacted Warner Bros. Studios, ABC, NBC and possibly other entertainment companies, using the alias Dan Witslib, and got tickets for movie screenings and live shows by posing as a representative of a fictitious charity called the StarCare Foundation, according to police. Schwoch allegedly told the companies he was going to auction the tickets and use the proceeds to help terminally ill children, investigators said.

Giving free tickets to charities to auction off is common in the entertainment industry.

``There's a lot of very worthwhile charities that are looking to raise money and do good,'' said Scott Rowe, a spokesman for Warner Bros.

But Schwoch never auctioned off the tickets, Gabriel said.

Instead, Schwoch used the tickets to attend shows around the country, including the Academy Awards, Gabriel said. On the Web site he allegedly used to fool ticket buyers, Schwoch is pictured posing with such celebrities as Dan Aykroyd, Jamie Lee Curtis, Jay Leno and Geraldo Rivera.

Warner Bros. alerted Burbank police to Schwoch's activities about three months ago, after a woman complained that she had been scammed. Schwoch was arrested March 23 at Warner Bros Studios in Burbank, where he had gone to pick up tickets for a showing of ``Miss Congeniality 2.''

On April 11, Schwoch was arraigned in Burbank Superior Court where he pleaded not guilty to five counts of felony burglary. His court-appointed attorney could not be reached for comment.

Schwoch was charged with burglary because in each case he entered a building with the intent to steal, Gabriel said. Aside from the count from the day he was arrested at Warner Bros., Schwoch is charged with three counts related to his attendance at NBC's ``The Tonight Show with Jay Leno'' on Nov. 7, 2003, Feb. 2, 2004, and Oct. 15, 2004; and at ABC's ``Jimmy Kimmel Live'' on March 22.

``He stole money not only from entertainment companies, but from an awful lot of people around the country. Just individual citizens thinking that they were taking advantage of a nice offer and that they were going to attend a nice event,'' Gabriel said.

Schwoch sold the fictitious tickets for up to $5,000, scamming at least 100 individuals, Gabriel said. More charges are expected against Schwoch, and Burbank police are asking individuals who may have been victimized by him to call their tip line at [phone].