A newfound respect for David Copperfield

I always thought that David Copperfield was a bit cheesy. Heck, I still do. But this incident gives me a bit of respect for him:

WEST PALM BEACH, Florida (AP) -- One of three teenagers charged with attempting to rob illusionist David Copperfield as he left a performance has pleaded guilty.

Terrance Riley, 17, was sentenced Thursday to two years in prison for three counts of robbery with a weapon and one count of attempted robbery. He will be housed with other inmates under the age of 21.

Circuit Judge Edward Garrison also ordered Riley to testify against his two co-defendants, his brother Dwayne Riley, 18, and Markeith Jones, 17.

Copperfield, 50, and two female assistants were walking from the Kravis Center to their tour bus when they were approached by the teens April 23. The assistants handed over money and a cellphone, but the illusionist turned his pockets inside out to reveal nothing, although he was carrying his passport, wallet and cell phone.

"He said in depositions that he had things on him, but it wasn't difficult to make it seem like there was nothing there," prosecutor Sherri Collins said.

I guess there are times when it's useful to be a magician other than for investigating paranormal phenomenon.

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Cheesy, maybe, but anyone who could date Claudia Schiffer for an extended period of time earns my respect anyway...

Still, buying an island with alleged magical healing powers makes him a dumbass.

But that is a pretty cool trick.

By anonimouse (not verified) on 14 Nov 2006 #permalink

I was a bit disappointed. I thought he would have disarmed the perps and handcuffed them to a tree while they thought eveything was going well for them.

A real magician could do that....

I'm not sure if they were terrified or just have really good poker faces, but it's fortunate that his assistants didn't give him away by busting out laughing.