Jailed Hollywood money manager Ken Starr got a nice surprise yesterday: his teenage daughters managed to get into his bail hearing. They had a visit in the courtroom before bail was set for $10 million. None of the reporters in the courtroom or press outside realized the girls were there. In the courtroom they tried to hug their dad–whom they hadn’t seen since before his arrest on June 1st–but bailiffs reminded them there’s no physical contact with the prisoner.
Starr is being held in the Manhattan Correctional Center. He was indicted on 21 counts of fraud totaling at least $59 million. His clients included a galaxy of stars from Uma Thurman and Neil Simon to Courtney Sale Ross, Carly Simon, and Mike Nichols and Diane Sawyer.
Starr’s kids didn’t tell their mother, Marisa Vucci Starr, that they were going to the hearing. They told her they were visiting friends in the city. Instead, the girls, 17 and 15 years old, took the train in from Syosset and arrived with Starr’s current wife, Diane Passage, dressed in matching outfits picked from the closet of a friend. It’s unknown if they ‘fessed up once they got home.
And that’s not all that happened yesterday at the Starr hearing but was not reported anywhere. Only in this column.
Reports that Passage is “destitute” are completely incorrect. For the time being, she is still living in the $5.5 million condo Starr purchased in April right before his arrest. I am told that she has been fully cooperative with prosecutors in the case, as well.
If Starr were to raise his $10 million bail, he would not be returning to that apartment. Instead, Starr’s brothers have kept up the rent on the East 79th St. luxury rental where Ken and Diane lived until they moved into the condo. “It’s all ready for him,” says a source.
Yesterday’s hearing produced very little of news value. “Starr’s bail was always going to be $10 million.” says a source. “The $2 million figure offered by Flora Edwards [his defense attorney] was not realistic.”
Judge Shira Sheindlin–who has a reputation for being very hard-nosed–wasn’t so thrilled when she heard that the bail was going to include assets provided by Starr’s brothers including their houses. The brothers’ wives would be required to sign off on any agreements. And from what I’m told, that’s not going to happen.
(Ken Starr here pictured with Planet Hollywood owner Keith Barish. They each paid multi million settlements in a case settled before Starr was indicted to the estate of Joan Stanton.)
