A man who claimed he was producing a documentary about cowboys, with narration by Clint Eastwood, has been charged on multiple counts of fraud, theft and failure to register.
Matthew McClintock has been accused of taking over $24,000, which he had obtained from a number of would-be investors, and spending the money on items for his own personal use.
In a court hearing in Helena, Montana, deputy securities commissioner Lynne Egan told a judge that among McClintock’s purchases was a $575 cowboy hat, which the accused had worn to a previous court date.
According to Associated Press, McClintock had admitted he had never spoken to Eastwood, but that the proposed film was not bogus. However, according to prosecutors, a cancer charity that McClintock had named as a recipient of some of the funds did not exist, and his bank accounts were frozen by state authorities.
The judge granted an injunction banning McClintock from raising any more “investments”; however, the accused did not attend the hearing and officials said his whereabouts were not known.
