Ronald Pellar
Encyclopedia
Ronald Pellar is an American
hypnotist and fraudster who performed under the stage name
s Ronald Dante and Dr. Dante, and who was briefly married to actress Lana Turner
. He has been convicted of or pled guilty to several criminal offenses, including mail fraud in connection with his operation of the diploma mill
Columbia State University
and attempted murder
for trying to contract for the murder of another hypnotist and entertainer. As of 2006, he had been listed in the Guinness Book of World Records for 20 years for having been paid the highest-ever lecture fee. He has been known by as many as 40 aliases
, including Phil Harris, Earl Clevenger, and Bonnie Ritchie.
In a 2006 interview, Pellar said he was born in 1920, but in 2003 he was reported to be 73 years old and in 2004 he was reported to be 74 years old, indicating a birth date in 1929 or 1930.
In 1997 Pellar was convicted of ten count
s of criminal contempt for violating an earlier injunction
against making false representation
s, issued in connection with a "permanent makeup
" business and a paralegal
training academy, and in 1998 he was sentence
d to 67 months in prison
for the contempt conviction. He fled before the last day of his trial, but was later captured in Mexico
and sent to prison. In 2004, while still serving his 1998 contempt sentence, he pled guilty to nine count
s of mail fraud associated with the Columbia State University diploma mill operation. For that guilty plea he received a sentence of eight months in prison and was ordered to pay restitution
of $45,835 and forfeit
a $1.5 million yacht
. For the charges he faced, he could have been sentenced to up to 45 years in federal prison and fined as much as $2.25 million.
In 2006, Pellar was living in a mobile home
in Pauma Valley, California
, and said he had cancer
.
Pellar is the subject of a short documentary film
entitled Mr. Hypnotism that was released in 2010.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
hypnotist and fraudster who performed under the stage name
Stage name
A stage name, also called a showbiz name or screen name, is a pseudonym used by performers and entertainers such as actors, wrestlers, comedians, and musicians.-Motivation to use a stage name:...
s Ronald Dante and Dr. Dante, and who was briefly married to actress Lana Turner
Lana Turner
Lana Turner was an American actress.Discovered and signed to a film contract by MGM at the age of sixteen, Turner first attracted attention in They Won't Forget . She played featured roles, often as the ingenue, in such films as Love Finds Andy Hardy...
. He has been convicted of or pled guilty to several criminal offenses, including mail fraud in connection with his operation of the diploma mill
Diploma mill
A diploma mill is an organization that awards academic degrees and diplomas with substandard or no academic study and without recognition by official educational accrediting bodies. The purchaser can then claim to hold an academic degree, and the organization is motivated by making a profit...
Columbia State University
Columbia State University
Columbia State University was a diploma mill based in California that used a Louisiana mailing address. It operated from the mid-1980s until it was closed by court order in 1998....
and attempted murder
Attempted murder
Attempted murder is a crime in England and Wales and Northern Ireland.-Today:In English criminal law, attempted murder is the crime of more than merely preparing to commit unlawful killing and at the same time having a specific intention to cause the death of human being under the Queen's Peace...
for trying to contract for the murder of another hypnotist and entertainer. As of 2006, he had been listed in the Guinness Book of World Records for 20 years for having been paid the highest-ever lecture fee. He has been known by as many as 40 aliases
Pseudonym
A pseudonym is a name that a person assumes for a particular purpose and that differs from his or her original orthonym...
, including Phil Harris, Earl Clevenger, and Bonnie Ritchie.
In a 2006 interview, Pellar said he was born in 1920, but in 2003 he was reported to be 73 years old and in 2004 he was reported to be 74 years old, indicating a birth date in 1929 or 1930.
In 1997 Pellar was convicted of ten count
Indictment
An indictment , in the common-law legal system, is a formal accusation that a person has committed a crime. In jurisdictions that maintain the concept of felonies, the serious criminal offence is a felony; jurisdictions that lack the concept of felonies often use that of an indictable offence—an...
s of criminal contempt for violating an earlier injunction
Injunction
An injunction is an equitable remedy in the form of a court order that requires a party to do or refrain from doing certain acts. A party that fails to comply with an injunction faces criminal or civil penalties and may have to pay damages or accept sanctions...
against making false representation
Misrepresentation
Misrepresentation is a contract law concept. It means a false statement of fact made by one party to another party, which has the effect of inducing that party into the contract. For example, under certain circumstances, false statements or promises made by a seller of goods regarding the quality...
s, issued in connection with a "permanent makeup
Permanent makeup
Permanent makeup is a cosmetic technique which employs tattoos as a means of producing designs that resemble makeup, such as eyelining and other permanent enhancing colors to the skin of the face, lips, and eyelids...
" business and a paralegal
Paralegal
Paralegal is used in most jurisdictions to describe a paraprofessional who assists qualified lawyers in their legal work. This is true in the United States and many other countries. However, in Ontario, Canada, paralegals are licensed by the Law Society of Upper Canada, giving paralegals an...
training academy, and in 1998 he was sentence
Sentence (law)
In law, a sentence forms the final explicit act of a judge-ruled process, and also the symbolic principal act connected to his function. The sentence can generally involve a decree of imprisonment, a fine and/or other punishments against a defendant convicted of a crime...
d to 67 months in prison
Prison
A prison is a place in which people are physically confined and, usually, deprived of a range of personal freedoms. Imprisonment or incarceration is a legal penalty that may be imposed by the state for the commission of a crime...
for the contempt conviction. He fled before the last day of his trial, but was later captured in Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
and sent to prison. In 2004, while still serving his 1998 contempt sentence, he pled guilty to nine count
Indictment
An indictment , in the common-law legal system, is a formal accusation that a person has committed a crime. In jurisdictions that maintain the concept of felonies, the serious criminal offence is a felony; jurisdictions that lack the concept of felonies often use that of an indictable offence—an...
s of mail fraud associated with the Columbia State University diploma mill operation. For that guilty plea he received a sentence of eight months in prison and was ordered to pay restitution
Restitution
The law of restitution is the law of gains-based recovery. It is to be contrasted with the law of compensation, which is the law of loss-based recovery. Obligations to make restitution and obligations to pay compensation are each a type of legal response to events in the real world. When a court...
of $45,835 and forfeit
Asset forfeiture
Asset forfeiture is confiscation, by the State, of assets which are either the alleged proceeds of crime or the alleged instrumentalities of crime, and more recently, alleged terrorism. Instrumentalities of crime are property that was allegedly used to facilitate crime, for example cars...
a $1.5 million yacht
Yacht
A yacht is a recreational boat or ship. The term originated from the Dutch Jacht meaning "hunt". It was originally defined as a light fast sailing vessel used by the Dutch navy to pursue pirates and other transgressors around and into the shallow waters of the Low Countries...
. For the charges he faced, he could have been sentenced to up to 45 years in federal prison and fined as much as $2.25 million.
In 2006, Pellar was living in a mobile home
Mobile home
Mobile homes or static caravans are prefabricated homes built in factories, rather than on site, and then taken to the place where they will be occupied...
in Pauma Valley, California
Pauma Valley, California
Pauma Valley is an unincorporated community between Valley Center and Palomar Mountain in San Diego County, California. The name also refers to an agricultural region comprising citrus and avocado groves, several Indian Reservations, casinos, and a country club.The headquarters of the La Jolla...
, and said he had cancer
Cancer
Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...
.
Pellar is the subject of a short documentary film
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
entitled Mr. Hypnotism that was released in 2010.