Weather | Sports | Forums | Comics | Classifieds | Calendar | Movies

Police find failed concert's organizer

An officer says Debra Terry indicated she is working to refund money she raised for the failed Viva Italiano event.

NEW PORT RICHEY - The search was on for Debra Terry.

The organizer of the Viva Italiano concert slated for Saturday canceled the event nearly two weeks ago with little explanation, leaving hundreds of ticket holders and dozens of vendors and sponsors wondering how - or if - they would get their money back.

The letter announcing the cancellation gave no phone number or address. The ticket sales phone number was disconnected. People came calling for refunds, but Terry's home phone and front door went unanswered.

Finally on Friday, a New Port Richey police officer reached Terry, 41, who assured him that refunds were in the works.

"She's indicated she's making a good faith attempt to reimburse all the vendors and all the people who did purchase tickets in advance," said Cpl. Jeffrey Harrington, head of the Police Department's Community Services Bureau. Terry spoke to one of his officers.

Harrington emphasized the matter is civil, not criminal - at least at this point.

"We wanted to see what (the organizers') intentions are and make them aware that people are indeed trying to recover the monies they gave to them," he said.

But he added: "If people are not getting monies refunded in an appropriate time period, then we could open a criminal investigation into the matter."

Terry did not return calls for this story. Ed Morelli, a promoter who helped Terry organize the event, said: "I don't know anything about it (the pending refunds). You'd have to get in touch with Debbie," and hung up.

Terry hoped to draw about 2,500 people to Sims Park for the 10-hour festival featuring Connie Francis, Frankie Ford, the Four Ladds and Johnny Maestro and the Brooklyn Bridge, according to her permit application with the city. But only "a few hundred" tickets were sold, Morelli told the Pasco Times Nov. 13.

At that time, Morelli said much of the ticket sales money had gone toward advertising and deposits for the entertainers. The advertising already ran and most of the deposits, such as the $1,250 for singer Frankie Ford, are nonrefundable.

"We hold the date," explained Ford's manager, Ken Keene of Sea Cruise Productions. "It's not our fault it didn't work out."

The question remains: How much money is left for refunds?

Having bought seven tickets for $35 a pop plus fees, Linda Vasquez went looking for answers. She dropped by Terry's home three times and waited by the door for 15 or 20 minutes each time.

"Nothing," the 50-year-old Hudson woman sighed. "And that's $266."

But one businessman said Terry and Morelli are making a concerted effort to settle up with him. Pasta Uno owner Jerry Argento paid $300 so he could sell food at the festival. He said Terry, a musician, offered to repay him "in trade" by playing music at his restaurant.

"I don't think they're out to get anybody," said Argento, who said Terry and Morelli dropped by his restaurant Thursday evening. "I just don't think they could raise the money they needed to raise. I'm sure they're going to want to pay people back, if there's any funds that are available."

The concert would have been the first event by Viva Italiano, Inc., the Port Richey company that Terry incorporated in August. But Morelli, who helped her organize it, has a spotty record as a concert promoter.

Frankie Ford agreed to do a series of doo-wop concerts promoted by Morelli in the past year or so, manager Keene said. But he said several dates were canceled: a Reno show last year, a Tampa show Feb. 21, an Orlando concert Feb. 22 and a June 21 date in Toledo, Ohio. Sometimes he didn't get deposits and he was out the cost of airline tickets, Keene said.

"(Morelli) said it was because of the weather in New York, the acts couldn't get there," Keene said. "It was a bunch of bull."

"During the whole time I negotiated with Debra Terry (for the Viva Italiano festival, Morelli's) name never came up," Keene added. "I wouldn't have been involved with it myself if I knew he was."

Dennis Verdier, a Clearwater man who owns a coin laundry and dry cleaners, said he fronted $24,500 to Morelli two years ago for a series of doo-wop concerts around the country. He was supposed to get a 25 percent return on his investment, but said he still hasn't seen a penny.

"I called him on the phone and left messages, but he never returned a call," Verdier told the Pasco Times. "That's when I went to my lawyer. We took him to court."

But Verdier didn't get far. Morelli and his wife, Therese Morelli, filed for bankruptcy April 7. Verdier is pursuing possible criminal charges.

"He seemed like a pretty upstanding guy," Verdier said, recalling when he first met Morelli through a mutual friend. "Well dressed, a lot of gold. I should have checked him out, and I didn't."

If you're a ticket holder, vendor or sponsor:

Request a refund from the organizers. If you can't reach them by phone or in person, send a letter via certified mail, with delivery confirmation, asking the organizers for an immediate refund. Provide your name, address and the amount you paid. Keep a copy of the letter and hold on to the delivery receipts. Send the letter to Viva Italiano president Debra Terry, 8725 Schrader Blvd., Port Richey, FL, 34668.

Contact the New Port Richey Police Department if you don't hear back from the organizers in two weeks. "That would give time for the mail to be delivered both ways," said Cpl. Jeffrey Harrington, who heads the police department's Community Services Bureau. That would also give the organizers enough time to access their money and start writing checks, he said. Call (727) 841-4550 and ask for the Community Services Bureau.

If you paid with a credit card, contact your credit card company. They might be able to arrange a refund if you dispute the purchase.

Ask about the refund policy. Before you buy tickets, make sure the organizers have a plan for providing refunds if the event is canceled. Hold onto the names and phone numbers of the organizers you talk to, in case you need to reach them again.

Check around. Call the local Better Business Bureau to see if any complaints have been filed against the organizers.

Purchase your tickets with a credit card. If the event falls through, you can work through your credit card company to get your money back.

"If you give a check or cash, you're pretty much out of luck," said Terence McElroy, spokesman for the state Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.

- Source: New Port Richey Police Department, Pasco County Sheriff's Office, state Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.