Logs from a travel agency that Tonken used, for instance, show that he was billed nearly $9,000 before a Family Celebration for a trip to London by Gerry Harrington, actor Sylvester Stallone's manager. Stallone was among those being honored at the gala -- in return for a $35,000 payment to his maid's sick child. A spokesman for Harrington, who is with Brillstein-Grey Management, declined to comment.
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It Pays to Be a Star on Charity Circuit
The case of fundraiser Aaron Tonken shows some celebrities and their associates get cash, expensive gifts or other perks for appearances.
For The Record
Los Angeles Times Tuesday December 23, 2003 Home Edition Main News Part A Page 2 National Desk 1 inches; 39 words Type of Material: Correction
Charity events -- Not all of the charities and institutions mentioned in an article on the front page of Section A on Dec. 8 about event promoter Aaron Tonken had knowledge of his plans or his dealings with celebrities.
For The Record
Los Angeles Times Friday December 26, 2003 Home Edition Main News Part A Page 2 National Desk 2 inches; 93 words Type of Material: Correction
Aaron Tonken -- A Dec. 8 article about event promoter Aaron Tonken on the front page of Section A said Bill Cosby had been sent a contract by the William Morris Agency stating that he was to receive a luxury sedan for a charity event. A Steve Lopez column in the California section Dec. 10 made a similar reference to the car. The article and the column should have made it clear that the sedan would have been for Cosby's use only as transportation to and from the event, which never was held.
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Similarly, Tonken gave gifts to executives of David E. Kelley Productions, the high-profile TV company, which contributed $10,000 to a Family Celebration. In an interview last March, Tonken said the company's executive director for business affairs, Neely Swanson, "made me buy a trip" for her and her family in return for facilitating various TV stars' involvement with the gala.
Travel agency logs show that Tonken was billed more than $20,000 for trips to Europe and elsewhere by Swanson and her family. Swanson's spokesman acknowledged the travel. But he said she paid for some of it and believed that Tonken was using frequent-flier vouchers for other flights.
The travel logs also show that Tonken was billed for a Paris trip by "Ally McBeal" producer Pamela Wisne. Wisne's spokesman said she gave her credit card number to the travel agent and didn't realize that he was charging her only for upgrades.
In some cases, Tonken gave gifts without any specific event in mind. His goal, it seems, was to remain a player and to stay in the good graces of the stars.
"It was like we were doing him a favor," said Beverly Hills jeweler Lori Rodkin, who confirmed that she traveled to London three years ago with her friend Cher at Tonken's expense. Rodkin said she believed their plane tickets, valued in the tens of thousands of dollars, would expire if they went unused.
"Had we ever known the dollars were being diverted from good causes, if we ever thought that for one second, none of us would ever have gotten involved," Rodkin said.
Yet Cher received trips far more elaborate than any frequent-flier voucher could cover. In one particularly expensive episode, Tonken wrangled a private jet to fly the singer to Atlanta so she could appear at a fundraiser for the Dallas-based Children's Craniofacial Assn. Tonken wasn't directly connected with the event, but he believed Cher would return the favor by performing at his own Los Angeles Kids Campaign gala, to be built around the Dallas charity and other philanthropies. The gala never occurred.
