Posted in: Comics, Recent Updates | Tagged: Comics, entertainment

The New York Comicon Organiser Barred From Attending New York Comic Con

At the end of last year's New York Comic Con, the partwork and toy manufacturer Eaglemoss who was exhibiting at the show, alleged that thousands of dollars worth of prototypes and other products had gone missing on the Sunday night,

Frank Patz, organiser of the neighbouring comic con, Eternalcon in Long Island, New York, attending NYCC as part of Michael Carbonaro's Vintage Movie Posters booth, was arrested by NYPD Special Forces on charges of grand larceny and possession of stolen goods.

However, New York police tell Bleeding Cool that Patz accepted an adjournment in contemplation of dismissal which means, as long as there is no more trouble in the next six months, all charges will be dismissed and stricken from his record.

Bleeding Cool has seen paperwork received after we made a Freedom Of Information request to the Javits Convention Center, which you can find reproduced at the bottom of this article.

It states that after Eaglemoss reported that items had gone missing from their booth on the Sunday night of the show, that the police were called and, with Javits Center security, used camera footage to identify a number of suspects taking boxes from the booth to their own.

These included in the list are Eaglemoss's Mega Harley Quinn Statue Prototype, Mega Hulkbuster Statue Prototype, Mega Hulk Statue, 3 Alien Prototypes, 12 Game of Thrones Figurine paint samples, Mega Dalek Statue, Large Scale Die-Cast Starship Enterprise, 3 Alien Xenomorph Prototypes, Alien "Dallas" Prototype, Alien "Hicks" Prototype, Alien "Johner" Prototype, Prometheus "Engineer" Prototype, 2 Predator Creature Prototypes and 6 SS. Yorktown Models.

All in all, they had a value just shy of $20,000.

It is common practice at shows for the trash at the end of the shows to be raided by some vendors to find things that other vendors have left behind. However Eaglemoss representatives told me they were still in the process of breaking down their space, and the items in question were still inside the booth, and not considered trash.

The report states that during the investigation by Javitz Center security and the police, most of the items were returned by Patz. He was then arrested on charges of grand larceny in the third degree and criminal possession of stolen property in the third degree. Weeks later Patz accepted an adjournment in contemplation of dismissal of all charges. No other charges were made against any other individuals, including those mentioned in the report as likely to have charges made against them.

The Manhattan DA's Office have assured me that after accepting an ACD – "Adjournment in Contemplation of Dismissal" that the case will be dismissed and sealed if Patz has no new arrests in the meantime.

However NYCC and the Javitz Center do not seem to hold with the "innocent until proven guilty" thesis. And so while Frank Patz will have no marks on his official police record as a result of this, he and all the individuals named, have been barred from entering the Javits Center, and show organisers Reed POP have barred them for life from attending any of their events, including the New York Comic Con, C2E2, ECCC and more.

There have been similar reported thefts in past years, but this is the first time there was video evidence that could identify people. This may stand as a warning however to people who engage in the lost standing tradition of post-comic con salvage to ensure what they take is there for the taking. It may be useful, in the future, to clarify exactly what is – and what isn't – trash. And maybe not take the risk.

Neither Frank Patz, Michael Carbonaro or Eaglemoss chose to officially comment on this situation when approached. New York Comic Con representatives, however, told Bleeding Cool,

The safety and security of our fans and exhibitors is always ReedPOP's number one priority. We are grateful to the Javits Center for the sustained efforts of its security team.  We also commend the Javits Center for its continued investment in the technology that allowed it to quickly identify the individuals involved in this matter.

The security report follows below.

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