A 67-year old male who allegedly claimed he represented the late Disco era singing group “The Village People” in an attempted fraud of the Mill Casino in North Bend pled guilty Tuesday, June 2, in Federal Court Portland to Wire Fraud charges. Howard Harlib, described by authorities as a long-time conman was sentenced to “time served.” Harlib had signed an artistic engagement contract with the Casino in August of 2015 for a January 2016 concert date. However, Coquille Tribe officials learned later that the group was also booked to perform in Florida on the same day as the North Bend booking. Harlib received $12,500 for the booking. That’s the same amount U.S. District Court Judge Ann Aiken ordered repaid in restitution to the Tribe. Harlib has been in custody in Florida since 2016 on unrelated charges. He’ll also be on three-years of Federal Supervision.
