[Pop Bitch] Which major TV grandee devised a rather nifty way of avoiding a paper trail for his dirty weekends?
He’d turn up to his regular antiques dealer on a Friday afternoon with a ‘niece’ or ‘secretary’ in tow to buy the young lady a fancy piece of furniture. Then, when writing a cheque, he’d chuck an extra grand onto the total which he’d get the dealers to give him back in cash – along with a receipt for the full amount.
What did he use the extra cash for? Who knows. It’s as much of a mystery as how he came to have quite so many 20-something nieces…
BG Note: Grandee = person of high rank or station
Similar: Rent To Own Actress
TV Man:
[Optional] What is the cash for?
NoYoureatowel says
As a Brit I am confused…. Can you just cash a cheque anywhere in the states.
Unless the antiques shops are right next door to a bank I can’t see how this would work…
krak13 says
Pic kinda looks like Chip and Joanna Gaines. But Waco is pretty small town mentality. I can’t imagine him sneaking around and getting away with it that easily, unless she just doesn’t care.
Monysmom says
TV Man – unknown
the money is to pay the “niece”
lovetheblazer says
Definitely someone British based on the spelling of cheque and “of high rank or station” sounds like something out of Downton Abbey so I’m going to guess… Hugh Bonneville.
Princess says
Chip.
gossipycat says
No clue, but I’m wondering how he found so many young women willing to both sleep with him (I assume) and go to some boring antique shop.
MrFahrenheit says
Oh please be Chip Gaines.
Vangaz says
I’m going with High Bonneville. He got a super injunction a few years ago because of his activities outside marriage shall we say. The cash is to pay them obviously
amagod121 says
I just remembered, Simon Cowell is a big shot in the UK + USA. I could see him visiting antique shops on a regular basis & dragging along some young woman introduced as a “niece,” or ” secretary. ” He’d easily be able to write a check for a grand over cost, & get the store to give him the $1,000 back in cash while claiming it was part of the cost of the item he purchased, so his GF wouldn’t be any wiser. So I’m going with him; he fits the bill of a grandee, which Chip G. does not.
jj the great says
No… You can’t cash a check anywhere, but you can use it to pay at most places if you have ID… Here, they’re making like he has something worked out with the furniture store, it seems. And whoever the deal is with, is simply taking the check and then giving him back cash for the extra $1000 to help him out & so the register has the correct amount of money. He probably paid them off or gave them advertising on Insta or something.
Helobar says
I assume that as he was a regular customer and – as a celebrity – ‘good’ for the money, that they would allow him to add £1K to the value of the cheque and they would give him the cash that they held at the shop – from takings, or the safe I presume.
I guess if the cheque bounced a tip of to the sleazy tabloids would earn the Antiques Dealer a lot more than £1K…
Helobar says
Not that hard if you’re paying them £1,000.00…
Parade says
I agree but he’s not buying in Waco.
jj the great says
Lol he didn’t “find” them… he bought them. What do you think the $1000 is for? Haha. I’m sorta kidding cuz it could also be for a date/hotel/etc but still ya never know lol. That being said, some women will sleep w ANYONE w even SLIGHT name recognition. Especially the ones trying to “make it”.
nycmadam says
It is a bit of, hmm, unofficial banking. The dealer writes a bill of sale for the item with an overcharge of $1000. The buyer writes a check for the full amount, but then the dealer immediately gives the buyer a “refund” of the $ 1000 in cash. The advantage here is that the buyer’s accounting will show just the purchase and no money trail that can be traced back to him by, say, a suspicious wife.
nycmadam says
Someone who stands to earn a thousand dollars for doing so.
zappy2050 says
This one is easy.
He cannot rent a hotel room on his credit card without causing suspicion.
He also cannot withdraw $1000 from his account – his wife would wonder – “why do you need a $1000?” Solution – He pays the antique dealer $1000 more than the item is worth and then gets some cash – The dealer probably gets $100/$200 for his troubles. If his wife sees the check – he can say – “listen I bought this abstract art from an antique dealer, yes a little expensive but here is the receipt…
vanillasky says
It does look like them but I would never refer to Chip as “high rank or station.” It sounds too fancy for him.
travio says
He’s writing the check to the antique store for a larger amount than his purchase and the store is giving him back the cash difference but writing it up for the inflated amount. The only one cashing the check is the antique dealer, the star is getting cash back. This is a common money laundering technique but he is just using it to mask his spending from his significant other.
bluthbananas says
He’s writing a check to the antiques dealers for more than he owes for the furniture. The dealer gives him the balance in cash, so no need for the TV man to go to a bank at all.
It’s sort of like getting cash back on a credit card/debit card transaction.
Vangaz says
That should be Hugh not high. Autocorrect being all Freudian ☺
SilverLining says
@NoYoureatowel
(From a U.S. 2nd generation citizen…)
These days most people can’t just cash checks anywhere (I believe they’re rarely used now except by companies and very wealthy people). Some people who usually don’t trust banks or owe a bank money (i.e. from overdrafts) will use a check cashing service & pay a high premium. I would say in this case this antique business knows this wealthy TV grandee well & appreciates his businees enough to trust to cash checks to hide his…