Apparent Scammer Claims To Own Crocodile Bar, Accused Of Stiffing Wicker Park Spots

By Stephen Gossett in News on Feb 4, 2017 12:21AM

Crocodile / Google Street View

An apparent shyster has left a bizarre string of alleged unpaid bills and deceptive practices at a slew of hip North Side spots.

After reports emerged of an imposter posing behind the shuttered Crocodile bar and restaurant, social media ignited with charges that the man responsible had pulled similarly shady criminal moves elsewhere in the Wicker Park area.

A man who appears to be named Christian DeBoer, 29, seems to have brazenly masqueraded behind the bar of Crocodile as its new owner. He claimed to be named Ian Baker in an interview with DNAinfo and said the bar's owner, Radek Hawryszcuk, was not available. (Hawryszcuk did not immediately return Chicagoist's request for comment.) DeBoer, who has a checkered arrest record in Florida, also allegedly walked out a bill at Floyd's Pub and didn't pay for a tattoo he got from Tatu Tattoo—allegations that emerged after a host of online amateur sleuths dug into the case on Facebook.

Chicago police did not confirm with Chicagoist any incidents related to the Crocodile property (1540 N Milwaukee Ave.) but DNAinfo reports that a Chicago spokesperson said officers were recently called to the bar on a report of trespassing.

Brooke Englehart said that DeBoer "flaked on paying" for a tattoo he received from the shop in January. Officer Michelle Tannehill, a Chicago police spokesperson, told Chicagoist that a complaint for "deceptive practice and theft of labor and services" was filed by a female victim working at the shop against a man fitting DeBoer's description on Jan. 19.

DeBoer was also accused of scamming Floyd's Pub with a similar ditch move.

Facebook

DeBoer did not return request for comment. If he has any sense, he's probably ditched Wicker Park by now.