Tweet
Savvis CEO is a dumbass!
Amex sues CEO for 241G he's accused of blowing on wild night at strip mecca
BY HELEN PETERSON
and TRACY CONNOR
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITERS
Meet the lap dunce.
He's a married Internet mogul who ran up a $241,000 tab at Scores and then stiffed American Express on the bill - claiming it was more padded than one of the strip club's busty beauties, according to a lawsuit.
Savvis Communications chief executive Robert McCormick, who hails from the "Show-Me State" of Missouri, allegedly charged the mind-blowing sum to his corporate card two years ago.
But when the bill came due, the father of three girls refused to pay, insisting he didn't spend more than $20,000 at the East Side pleasure palace.
Now Amex is suing Savvis and McCormick, claiming Scores turned over signed documents that suggest the bottom line - the cost of a condo or a Ferrari - is legit.
"He was celebrating a big billion-dollar deal - that's a B for billion," Scores spokesman Lonnie Hanover said of McCormick's one-night stand.
"We can't go to a customer and say, 'Are you sure you want to spend another $50,000?' He would be insulted. If they are millionaires and they are sober, they are free to spend."
McCormick's wife, Michelle, said her husband was the innocent victim of a crime.
"I spoke to his assistant and here's what happened: somebody stole his credit card and went to town with it," she said.
But Savvis officials acknowledged that McCormick - who makes more than $600,000 a year in salary and bonuses - patronized Scores on the night in question.
But the St. Louis-based Internet service provider, whose stock is languishing at 68 cents a share, intends to fight the charges and the suit filed Wednesday in Manhattan Supreme Court.
"We are aware of the matter and we firmly believe Mr. McCormick was the victim of fraud," company lawyer Deena Williamson said.
McCormick, 40, wound up at Scores the night of Oct. 22, 2003, with three business acquaintances and handed over his charge card, the suit says.
The card had no spending limit, so Scores took steps to make sure McCormick was authorized to use it, including calling Amex every hour once the bill hit $10,000, Hanover said.
The club also fingerprints its high rollers and checks their ID to make sure someone hasn't stolen their card, he said.
Hanover could not provide an itemized breakdown of how McCormick and his buddies managed to spend a quarter of a million bucks - but he had a guess.
"I am sure we are going to find out it was mostly gratuities to dancers," he said. "He didn't get 1 million dances. Apparently, they gave out thousands of dollars to girls."
He said it's not unheard of for the rich and powerful who flock to the flesh mecca to drop six figures in a single night.
"You could have a great time for a few hundred dollars or you can party like a potentate," he said.
"We had one CEO who on a wild night gave a thousand-dollar gratuity to every person he came in contact with. It is the hundred beautiful girls. They are mesmerizing. It just puts everyone in the ether."
But McCormick is hardly the first businessman to dispute a Scores bill; at least three other suits have been filed in the past two years.
The Manhattan district attorney's office opened a probe into allegations of overcharging, and that investigation is ongoing, a law enforcement source said.[/b][/quote]
QUOTE
Amex sues CEO for 241G he's accused of blowing on wild night at strip mecca
BY HELEN PETERSON
and TRACY CONNOR
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITERS
Meet the lap dunce.
He's a married Internet mogul who ran up a $241,000 tab at Scores and then stiffed American Express on the bill - claiming it was more padded than one of the strip club's busty beauties, according to a lawsuit.
Savvis Communications chief executive Robert McCormick, who hails from the "Show-Me State" of Missouri, allegedly charged the mind-blowing sum to his corporate card two years ago.
But when the bill came due, the father of three girls refused to pay, insisting he didn't spend more than $20,000 at the East Side pleasure palace.
Now Amex is suing Savvis and McCormick, claiming Scores turned over signed documents that suggest the bottom line - the cost of a condo or a Ferrari - is legit.
"He was celebrating a big billion-dollar deal - that's a B for billion," Scores spokesman Lonnie Hanover said of McCormick's one-night stand.
"We can't go to a customer and say, 'Are you sure you want to spend another $50,000?' He would be insulted. If they are millionaires and they are sober, they are free to spend."
McCormick's wife, Michelle, said her husband was the innocent victim of a crime.
"I spoke to his assistant and here's what happened: somebody stole his credit card and went to town with it," she said.
But Savvis officials acknowledged that McCormick - who makes more than $600,000 a year in salary and bonuses - patronized Scores on the night in question.
But the St. Louis-based Internet service provider, whose stock is languishing at 68 cents a share, intends to fight the charges and the suit filed Wednesday in Manhattan Supreme Court.
"We are aware of the matter and we firmly believe Mr. McCormick was the victim of fraud," company lawyer Deena Williamson said.
McCormick, 40, wound up at Scores the night of Oct. 22, 2003, with three business acquaintances and handed over his charge card, the suit says.
The card had no spending limit, so Scores took steps to make sure McCormick was authorized to use it, including calling Amex every hour once the bill hit $10,000, Hanover said.
The club also fingerprints its high rollers and checks their ID to make sure someone hasn't stolen their card, he said.
Hanover could not provide an itemized breakdown of how McCormick and his buddies managed to spend a quarter of a million bucks - but he had a guess.
"I am sure we are going to find out it was mostly gratuities to dancers," he said. "He didn't get 1 million dances. Apparently, they gave out thousands of dollars to girls."
He said it's not unheard of for the rich and powerful who flock to the flesh mecca to drop six figures in a single night.
"You could have a great time for a few hundred dollars or you can party like a potentate," he said.
"We had one CEO who on a wild night gave a thousand-dollar gratuity to every person he came in contact with. It is the hundred beautiful girls. They are mesmerizing. It just puts everyone in the ether."
But McCormick is hardly the first businessman to dispute a Scores bill; at least three other suits have been filed in the past two years.
The Manhattan district attorney's office opened a probe into allegations of overcharging, and that investigation is ongoing, a law enforcement source said.[/b][/quote]
Comment