HELENA, Mont. (KRON/AP) – A Montana man is facing criminal charges, accused of scamming investors into giving him more than $24,000 to produce a cowboy documentary he said would be narrated by actor director Clint Eastwood.
Prosecutors say the film was bogus, and that 70-year-old Matthew McClintock used nearly all of the money for living expenses, to dine out in restaurants, and even to buy himself a $575 cowboy hat.
Deputy Securities Commissioner Lynne Egan said Thursday just a little more than $200 remained when the state froze McClintock’s bank accounts.
McClintock faces charges of theft, fraudulent practices, failure to register as a salesperson and failure to register a security. The charges were filed Wednesday in state court in Missoula.
A Helena judge on Thursday kept in place a ban on McClintock’s fundraising. McClintock did not appear at the hearing.