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Celebrity benefit hoax stuns Zoo
"When I read the e-mail, there suddenly was no oxygen in the room," Lantz said, recalling the late-night correspondence she received June 30 from a local man she would not identify who claimed to represent stars and executives from Disney's acclaimed 'High School Musical' movie series. For about a year, Lantz said, the Zoo had been in negotiations with a promoter about staging a celebrity benefit starring Disney actors Cody Linley and Drew Seeley that could raise as much as $150,000. The Zoo already had sold about $8,000 in tickets to Zoo members and sponsors. The proceeds were to sustain the Zoo's operations through December. Now, the Zoo must refund that money while facing the eminent prospect of closure because of a 20-percent budget shortfall resulting from sagging attendance. "When I came to the Zoo in November, this individual had already proactively contacted the management team and represented that he was a family member of some of the cast members of 'High School Musical' who owned a production company that was affiliated with Disney," Lantz said. "There was a lot of hype. Some public relations stuff had been done with autograph material. When I got here, I questioned whether this was legit or not. I suggested we tone everything down, take a step back and get the focus of the community off of it so we could figure out what was going on. "We've spent the last seven months doing that," Lantz continued. "It's been very elaborate. There were contracts. A board member from the company came and spoke to our board. We asked a lot of questions and tried to research everything. "We spotted some red flags, but it kept coming back that this production company was presented to be owned by Drew Seeley and another gentleman. We weren't able to prove their claims weren't true, and we weren't able to get 100 percent comfortable that it was. "We got to a point where we were like, OK, what does this person gain by fabricating all this for a year? What if, despite our doubts, it is real and we don't believe it, and then we miss an opportunity that could significantly impact the Zoo and this community. So three weeks ago, we made a conscious decision and took a leap of faith. It back-fired." A news conference scheduled for Wednesday, July 2, was publicized. Then came an ill-fated e-mail telling Lantz that the agreement had hit a snag and the news conference needed to be postponed. "I felt like I had been punched in the stomach," Lantz said. "My husband immediately came to me and asked what was wrong. "I've never dealt with anything like this. At a professional level, it's like, 'Oh, my gosh! What about all these (zoo employees) who are making just above minimum wage and living paycheck to paycheck? How are we going to get this turned around?' "I had worked with this individual for a long time. I felt betrayed. How can people be like this? I'm one of those fools who believe in the inherent good in people, so it's really difficult." Lantz said the Zoo is preparing to take legal action. "We are gathering up all the documentation, the e-mails and written documents we have," she said. "We have been in contact with the attorney for the zoological society to get his guidance. We expect to turn it over to the appropriate officials as soon as possible." In the meantime, the Zoo is soliciting help from local governmental agencies and other possible revenue sources to stay in business. Skyrocketing gasoline prices and inflation are contributing to a substantial reduction in Zoo attendance, resulting in a major revenue shortfall. "It's heartbreaking," Lantz said. "I don't know what drove all this. Was it malicious or delusional? It doesn't make any sense to me. "What I do know is that this really puts the Zoo in jeopardy, and we will have to make the ultimate decision of whether to close it." |
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