Steven Kunes
Encyclopedia
Steven Kunes is an American
screenwriter
, author, playwright
, con man
, forger
and plagiarist
. Kunes is a convicted felon.
and attended New York University
.
.
Kunes made the front page of Daily Variety on June 10, 1992 when he sold his original (unproduced) screenplay "First Comes Love" for $1.2 million.
magazine a fake interview with reclusive author J. D. Salinger
, whom he had never met. Salinger sued and settled the case under the conditions that Kunes was "permanently enjoined from representing by any means that he is associated with or ever met Salinger", barred from "exhibiting, transmitting or exhibiting documents, writing or statements attributed to Salinger" and "required to collect and turn over any offending such documents or writings for destruction". The "interview" was never published. He later succeeded in selling a fake interview with Jimmy Buffett
to the Santa Barbara Daily Sound
.
Steven Kunes was arrested on March 17, 2011 for purportedly swindling his friend, former Café Buenos Aires owner Wally Ronchietto, out of $2,000 for a movie deal that doesn’t exist. On April 23, 2011, Noozhawk, a Santa Barbara online publication, announced that it has removed six of Mr. Kunes' articles from their digital archives as two contained plagiarized passages.
On August 27, 2011, a Santa Barbara judge issued a $200,000 bench warrant for his arrest when he failed to appear in court. Thought to have been hiding in Bucks County, Pennsylvania
, he was apprehended by bail bondsmen in New Jersey less than a month later.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
screenwriter
Screenwriter
Screenwriters or scriptwriters or scenario writers are people who write/create the short or feature-length screenplays from which mass media such as films, television programs, Comics or video games are based.-Profession:...
, author, playwright
Playwright
A playwright, also called a dramatist, is a person who writes plays.The term is not a variant spelling of "playwrite", but something quite distinct: the word wright is an archaic English term for a craftsman or builder...
, con man
Confidence trick
A confidence trick is an attempt to defraud a person or group by gaining their confidence. A confidence artist is an individual working alone or in concert with others who exploits characteristics of the human psyche such as dishonesty and honesty, vanity, compassion, credulity, irresponsibility,...
, forger
Forgery
Forgery is the process of making, adapting, or imitating objects, statistics, or documents with the intent to deceive. Copies, studio replicas, and reproductions are not considered forgeries, though they may later become forgeries through knowing and willful misrepresentations. Forging money or...
and plagiarist
Plagiarism
Plagiarism is defined in dictionaries as the "wrongful appropriation," "close imitation," or "purloining and publication" of another author's "language, thoughts, ideas, or expressions," and the representation of them as one's own original work, but the notion remains problematic with nebulous...
. Kunes is a convicted felon.
Background and early career
Kunes was born in 1956 in Bucks County, PennsylvaniaBucks County, Pennsylvania
- Industry and commerce :The boroughs of Bristol and Morrisville were prominent industrial centers along the Northeast Corridor during World War II. Suburban development accelerated in Lower Bucks in the 1950s with the opening of Levittown, Pennsylvania, the second such "Levittown" designed by...
and attended New York University
New York University
New York University is a private, nonsectarian research university based in New York City. NYU's main campus is situated in the Greenwich Village section of Manhattan...
.
Scriptwriting
Kunes has written for Salute to America's Pets and CheersCheers
Cheers is an American situation comedy television series that ran for 11 seasons from 1982 to 1993. It was produced by Charles/Burrows/Charles Productions, in association with Paramount Network Television for NBC, and was created by the team of James Burrows, Glen Charles, and Les Charles...
.
Kunes made the front page of Daily Variety on June 10, 1992 when he sold his original (unproduced) screenplay "First Comes Love" for $1.2 million.
Fraud
In 1982, Kunes attempted to sell to PeoplePeople (magazine)
In 1998, the magazine introduced a version targeted at teens called Teen People. However, on July 27, 2006, the company announced it would shut down publication of Teen People immediately. The last issue to be released was scheduled for September 2006. Subscribers to this magazine received...
magazine a fake interview with reclusive author J. D. Salinger
J. D. Salinger
Jerome David Salinger was an American author, best known for his 1951 novel The Catcher in the Rye, as well as his reclusive nature. His last original published work was in 1965; he gave his last interview in 1980....
, whom he had never met. Salinger sued and settled the case under the conditions that Kunes was "permanently enjoined from representing by any means that he is associated with or ever met Salinger", barred from "exhibiting, transmitting or exhibiting documents, writing or statements attributed to Salinger" and "required to collect and turn over any offending such documents or writings for destruction". The "interview" was never published. He later succeeded in selling a fake interview with Jimmy Buffett
Jimmy Buffett
James William "Jimmy" Buffett is a singer-songwriter, author, entrepreneur, and film producer. He is best known for his music, which often portrays an "island escapism" lifestyle. Together with his Coral Reefer Band, Buffett's musical hits include "Margaritaville" , and "Come Monday"...
to the Santa Barbara Daily Sound
Santa Barbara Daily Sound
The Santa Barbara Daily Sound is a daily newspaper in Santa Barbara, California that is published Tuesday through Saturday. It is distributed through newspaper racks and in stores, coffee shops, restaurants, schools and major workplaces. The founder and publisher is Jeramy Gordon, former managing...
.
Steven Kunes was arrested on March 17, 2011 for purportedly swindling his friend, former Café Buenos Aires owner Wally Ronchietto, out of $2,000 for a movie deal that doesn’t exist. On April 23, 2011, Noozhawk, a Santa Barbara online publication, announced that it has removed six of Mr. Kunes' articles from their digital archives as two contained plagiarized passages.
On August 27, 2011, a Santa Barbara judge issued a $200,000 bench warrant for his arrest when he failed to appear in court. Thought to have been hiding in Bucks County, Pennsylvania
Bucks County, Pennsylvania
- Industry and commerce :The boroughs of Bristol and Morrisville were prominent industrial centers along the Northeast Corridor during World War II. Suburban development accelerated in Lower Bucks in the 1950s with the opening of Levittown, Pennsylvania, the second such "Levittown" designed by...
, he was apprehended by bail bondsmen in New Jersey less than a month later.