Reward? What Reward?

[The Straight Story]

Reward? What Reward?
By PHILIP A. JANQUART

(CN) - Hip-hop star Ryan Leslie ducked out on paying a promised $1 million reward for the return of his laptop, which was stolen during his European tour, according to the German man who found it.

Armin Augstein, 52, says he found a black bag belonging to the musician and producer in the woods behind his office. The bag held a MacBook, several memory drives, credit cards and Leslie's passport, according to the complaint.

Leslie reported the items as stolen after the bag disappeared from the back of his Mercedes on Oct. 23, 2010 while on a stop in Cologne.
Leslie posted a plea for the return of the laptop on YouTube, on MTV and through news agencies in Germany. He said songs from his new album were saved to the computer. Initially, he offered a $20,000 reward. He upped the ante to $1 million after failing to receive tips on the computer's whereabouts.

...

"After waiting a period of time with no response from Ryan Leslie concerning the reward or even acknowledging return of his laptop computer, plaintiff disclosed his story to the German press. Reports of the Ryan Leslie laptop computer having been recovered by plaintiff, and Ryan Leslie's failure to pay the promised, published and promoted reward, was thereafter picked up by media and various music industry websites. Ryan Leslie was even asked in an interview about the reports that his laptop was recovered and that he failed to pay the $1 million reward, to which he responded, 'I cannot discuss this matter,'" the lawsuit states.

http://www.entlawdigest.com/2011/10/26/1001.htm