North Wales comedian and Howard Stern Show regular Captain. Janks -- a.k.a. Thomas M. Cipriano -- is in a Montgomery County prison on accusations of standing up businesses who paid him in advance for performances he never gave. (AP Photos/Courtesy of the Howard Stern Show)
It looks like the jokes have come to an end for Capt. Janks of Howard Stern radio show fame -- at least until he gets out of jail.
The comedian has been accused of standing up businesses that paid him in advance for performances he never gave, and he has been in the Montgomery County Prison in Norristown since last week.
Capt. Janks, whose real name is Thomas M. Cipriano, 43, of North Wales, Montgomery County, turned himself in last Thursday to face charges in Bucks and Montgomery counties.
Court records show he appeared before three district judges before being committed to Montgomery County's jail after not posting bail in the three cases.
Capt. Janks was part of the "Wack Pack," a group of regulars who appear on Stern's satellite radio show. According to the show's Web site, Capt. Janks began appearing on the show in 1989 and had a farewell appearance Dec. 1, 2005.
He made a name for himself by making prank calls to radio and television shows and slipping in a Howard Stern reference before the hosts caught on and hung up.
Howard Stern gave Capt. Janks a chance to defend himself against allegations that he fraudulently accepted appearance fees during a phone interview on the show Feb. 23. A summary of the interview is on the show's Web site and its title, "The Oxy Made Him Do It," is mentioned in one of the arrest affidavits.
The Web site says that Capt. Janks told Stern he "had addiction problems" with prescription painkillers, but he got out of a drug rehabilitation facility that day and planned to move into a sober house.
Capt. Janks refers to himself as the "King of Phoney, Phoney Phone Calls" and helped popularize the phrase "Baba Booey," a reference to Stern's producer.
State police at Dublin did not identify Cipriano as Capt. Janks in its news release.
The news release said Cipriano is a comedian who was paid to perform at the Indian Rock Inn in Upper Black Eddy in late October last year but never showed up. The inn, located along the Delaware River in Bridgeton Township, Bucks County, filed a complaint with state police Dec. 1.
Owner Tom Schweder said Cipriano solicited him for the gig and requested advance payment of $350. Schweder said he also paid two musicians to support for Cipriano's routine and advertised the event. He attracted an audience that left disappointed.
"It made us look like stupid fools," Schweder said. "His Web site says he's retired and is going to make restitution. ... Six months of washing dishes here ought to get him out from under us."
Schweder said he is scheduled to attend Cipriano's preliminary hearing at 11:15 a.m. Monday at District Judge M. Kay Dubree's office in Bridgeton Township. Cipriano was arraigned by Dubree on theft by deception and theft by unlawful taking charges after he turned himself in last Thursday. He did not post bail -- 10 percent of $8,000. State police said he was taken to Montgomery County to face similar charges.
Court records show he was arraigned on theft charges filed by the police departments in Cheltenham and Plymouth townships. Bail in both of those cases was set at $2,500.
An arrest affidavit in the Cheltenham Township case alleges Cipriano received $350 from the Edgehill Tavern in December for an appearance Feb. 20, which based on the interview with Howard Stern was a date he spent in drug rehab.
According to other published reports, Cipriano was arrested in New Jersey earlier this year under similar circumstances. Schweder said state police told him there are are about a dozen incidents under investigation.
A message on the Cipriano's Web site, www.captainjanks.tk says, "Captain Janks' tour has been cancelled for '09 due to personal issues. He has been in rehab, and is also dealing with medical and personal issues. He has lost everything…. He apologizes to all the fans, and clubs he has been booked at to do shows, and will be in touch with those places in the near future to reschedule or refund deposits. Again, he apologizes, and is officially retired from the business. Thank you to all for the support."
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