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Wrestler 'falls' on hard times, arrested

A professional wrestler from Levittown allegedly "staged a fall" at a 7-Eleven in an attempt to collect $50,000 in damages, state Attorney General Tom Corbett said yesterday.

A professional wrestler from Levittown allegedly "staged a fall" at a 7-Eleven in an attempt to collect $50,000 in damages, state Attorney General Tom Corbett said yesterday.

Despite claims of an injured neck and back, investigators say, Michael Taris, 34, continued to clothesline his opponents and leap from the turnbuckle - while moonlighting as a male escort and massage therapist.

"Mr. Taris was hoping to make fast, easy money at the expense of others," Corbett said. "Fortunately, his scheme was discovered, and he was never able to profit from his deception."

Taris was arrested yesterday and charged with insurance fraud and attempted theft. He was released on $10,000 unsecured bail and is scheduled for a preliminary hearing March 6.

Clinton Wagner, a special agent for the Attorney General's Office, said in the criminal complaint that Taris staged the 2007 fall in a "small splash of coffee" on the tiled floor of a Levittown 7-Eleven. He later admitted that he had filed the bogus claim because he had "fallen on hard times" and needed money.

Taris, who formerly wrestled for the World Wide Wrestling Alliance, now wrestles for the National Wrestling Superstars, authorities said. He also worked for Premier Escort Services as a male dancer and as a massage therapist for Massage for Men (M4M), where he went by the name "Sean."