Tonight on 20/20 ` At just 18, Phoebe Farrell was picked for big things in the world of fashion. I never thought in a million years that I could be a model. But she was living a lie. I remember I got offered a job, but I thought, 'I can't do This and have younger girls looking up to me, 'when I'm so sick.' We follow Phoebe's journey to recovery... I'm starting to like who I am as a person. ...using her father's music as therapy. He was a rock star. She was known for her hair ` in fact, modelled it for a living ` and then... In the shower, if I put my hand through it, it would just` instead of, like, rubbing, it would just rub out. The hair would just come out in my hand. Handfuls of hair. How far would you go to get your hair back? It's not worth going through This pain any more. I need to be honest and be real. And we meet The Mentalist. Simon, have you become Patrick Jane? You're wearing the vest. Has this become your thing? I wear this like a suit of armour when I have to do interviews. www.tvnz.co.nz/access-services Captions were made possible with funding from NZ On Air. Copyright TVNZ Access Services 2012 Kia ora. I'm Sonia Wilson. She was scouted as a model at 18 and was heading for big things in the industry. But the stunning teenager gave it all up. Phoebe Farrell was suffering from a mental illness ` the mental illness that claims more lives in NZ than any other. Now she's getting help, she's found her voice and is well on the road to recovery. Here's Erin Conroy with Phoebe's story. STATIC CRACKLES I can't wait to, um, finally get my life back. So, yeah. ELECTRONICA MUSIC You can hear Phoebe Farrell on YouTube. # Coming out my way-ay. You may have seen her in the fashion mags. I never thought in a million years that I could be a model. # I'm gonna kick you out into space. I wanted people to know my name and be like, 'Oh, that's the chick I went to high school with. 'Wow, she looks` doesn't even look like her.' At 19 she was a cover girl. Her stunning looks promised a big future, but Phoebe didn't like what she saw. # You treat me like you don't even care. # CAMERA FLASHES I remember I got offered a job, but I thought, 'I can't do this and have younger girls looking up to me, 'when I'm so sick.' ATMOSPHERIC MUSIC And then that's when I stopped modelling. How sick did she get? She got very sick. GENTLE PIANO MUSIC She was just a typical little girl ` There's a squashed worm on our path. ...a little girl with music in her genes. I remember picking up my first guitar. I was` I think I was 5. I picked it up and started playing, and Dad was like, 'Where'd you learn that?' And I was like, 'I dunno.' She sang, almost, before she talked. # I have been here... # (GIGGLES) She had a talent for music inherited from her dad,... ...featuring Mr Mike Farrell on guitar! ...a rock icon of the '80s and '90s. He was a legend in the NZ music industry. He did lots of session work and wrote a lot of songs. He wrote the Commonwealth Games song ` co-wrote it. # This is the moment. # Wrote heaps of songs for Midge Marsden. He was a rock star. # Unbroken love... # Phoebe was just 8 when her dad died suddenly from a heart attack. I stopped playing guitar when Dad passed away. I completely shut down. ATMOSPHERIC MUSIC Her dad's death was unexpected and left an unmistakable mark on Phoebe. I developed OCD. And I had to open and close the door five times before I went in, otherwise my whole family would die. And I developed, um, really serious hand-washing problem. My skin was just all rashy and... Just crazy stuff. I could never be alone. I could never stay anywhere, and I think for about a year after I had to sleep in Mum's bed. # Don't be scared to speak. # Depression and anxiety invaded Phoebe's life, but in high school, so did yet another disorder. I was a bit bigger, but I was` I wasn't fat. I was, you know, puppy fat. And I guess it was the whole comfort eating. But, um,... Yeah. To me, I was huge. Phoebe dropped out of school. Her eating disorder, as well as her other problems, spiralled out of control. I was drinking a lot. Um, it got to the point where I was drinking by myself every night... to, sort of, make the voices go away. We call it the ED voice. to, sort of, make the voices go away. We call it the ED voice. The ED voice? Eating disorder voice. And it's sort of` It's just in the back of your head constantly, like, 'If you don't eat this, you'll feel really good.' Or, if you go for a run, you know, you'll burn this many calories, or... What's going on inside that makes you able to literally starve yourself? It becomes a really positive thing, and every time you miss a meal it's like positive reinforcement. You're striving to be perfect, and you'll set yourself a goal. Say, OK, I'll get to this weight, and I'll be really happy. But then you get to that weight, and it's not good enough, so you'll, you know, take it further. How much would you have eaten in a day? I would have a muesli bar throughout the day ` like, ration it. Some days I went with just eating grapes. Just fruit. I got to 49kgs. Normal weight would be about` I think it's 65. I guess she was on the path of self-destruction, and that was really hard to watch. I just wanted to bundle her up and... and protect her, but I couldn't. WISTFUL MUSIC After nearly two years of starving herself, Phoebe gave up. I was just so low. I ended up taking an overdose. And woke up in... um, intensive care unit after having a seizure. And I think that was my rock bottom ` seeing the look on my mum's face. BRIGHT MUSIC So it's, uh, 25` 26 minutes to 1. Finally, Phoebe got help. So, you've got 30 minutes. She found it at the North Island's only eating disorder treatment centre, Thrive. Did you get a baked product? Did you get a baked product? I did. See, I challenged myself. It was the beginning of months of intense treatment. Seven hours a day, five days a week. I think that was my most horrific meal ever. It's six meals a day, constant supervision. You'd see the meal and be like, this isn't what a normal person would eat. Cos to you dinner is a cracker. And seeing that is just like... It looks impossible, but you have to do it if you want to get well. And you just, sort of, have to force yourself. LAUGHTER Do people say to you, 'Phoebe, just eat'? It's a mental illness, and it has the highest mortality rate out of all mental illnesses. And it's` it's not fair to say to someone, just eat. Because they're not going to. It's gonna make them not want to at all. Eventually I started enjoying the meals again, like, 'Yay. We're having this for dinner.' And I don't have a choice, so I'm just going to enjoy it. You may as well. So, are we all finished? > So, are we all finished? > Yep. So, are we all finished? > Yep. Great. Good. Fantastic, guys. LAIDBACK MUSIC You have to have seated time an hour after every meal. You're not allowed to use the bathroom an hour after every meal. The nurses have to flush the toilet for you. Hop on the scale. Every morning, check in, make sure you're doing OK. Weigh-in twice a week. But you're not allowed to look at the scales, obviously. Strict rules help in her treatment. But as her video diary reveals, getting well isn't easy. Everything I tried on was, like, two sizes bigger All I wanted to do was grab a bottle of wine and sit in my room and down it and fall asleep, but... didn't. This week, we're` we're talking about body image. Talking is a must here. You mentioned something about looking in the mirror. Did you notice any body checking? What you're seeing in a mirror is totally distorted. Like, what I see is not what everybody else sees. And while some topics are off the agenda,... Girls, can we just avoid some of the size talk? ...a well-known, unscientific therapy is just fine. LAUGHTER We're just constantly laughing. I mean, if you didn't laugh, you'd cry. Jokes about eating disorders as well? Oh yeah. We joke about ourselves all the time. But if someone else was doing it that didn't have an eating disorder, we'd be like, 'Hey.' And I had a pretty shit weekend. It was the anniversary of the day my dad died and... that always sort of... just fucks me up a bit for the weekend. Phoebe's surrounded by memories of her dad. His guitars are on display in the lounge. Recognition hangs on the wall. And there are the family videos. It's recording. Hello. Hello. So tall. Hello. So tall. It's the shoes. Today Phoebe's retracing the musical steps of her dad. I found, um, Dad's original scores of 'Struck Down By The Blues' in his handwriting. < Oh, really? What are your musical aspirations? What are your musical aspirations? I wanna record an album. And I wanna sing one of my dad's songs on the album. Cos he never released an album. Meeting up with the musical legends like NZ rocker Midge Marsden, who played alongside her dad. Go back as friends with your father a long, long time, you know. I was, like, 15. He must have been 18 or 19. The amp was turned up full` every knob. LAUGHTER They're keen to help her make her dream become a reality. GUITAR PLAYS # Good day, little ray of sunshine. # I said, I hope we're not too late. Understanding for the first time her true musical pedigree... # Good day, little ray of sunshine. It's like a one in a million, you know, opportunity to be able to play and jam with people that know my dad so well. # What took you so long? # My baby took a walk, and now she's gone. ...and discovering a way to remember. Can't remember. There was a flash ending. As soon as I start singing and playing guitar, I know that's the gift that he gave to me. STATIC BUZZES The average size for a woman in NZ is size 12. I don't know why I'm freaking out about a size 8. Because before I was like` I couldn't even fit women's underwear. I had to buy underwear from, like, Pumpkin Patch and shit. Like, that's not hot. It's gross. So, this is going out? Yes. Another big step for Phoebe ` This is like those` those Weight Watchers ads in reverse, eh? ...chucking out some clothes. XXX-Small. Goodness, I've never even heard of that size. Clothes that even become baggy on her at her lowest weight. It was probably the hardest thing I've had to do, for my whole recovery. What does your therapist say about keeping clothes like this? They say chuck them, because they're just gonna sit and tease you in the wardrobe and laugh at you. In the bin bag they go. In the bin bag they go. (SIGHS) Well done. > Your therapist will be happy, yes? Your therapist will be happy, yes? She will be. Chucked. I just found out today that I reached my goal weight, um, which means I can go into the three-day programme at Thrive. Phoebe's making progress in her recovery. She now has to work to maintain the healthy weight she's achieved. # I've got a red card... With her days off, music is finding its way back into her life. # It flows through me like ecstasy. # And I become the melody. She's taking the talent passed down from her father and making it her own. # Please, please, please stay close to me, me, me. The fact that I had my guitar and I was playing ` my ED voice had gone away. I couldn't hear it when I was playing guitar. And I was able to sit there and eat a normal meal. Music takes that away, and it's... Oh, I was on top of the world that night. # I'm begging you, please. # APPLAUSE, CHEERING Hi. Um, just found out that I've got a discharge date. It's in three weeks. So I'll be, um, out of Thrive and in the real world. GENTLE MUSIC Is there a ceremony for when you get discharged? On the Friday we have, like, a special afternoon tea. Life's a bit different these days. There's a lot less partying;... When I finish, we could go out for a family dinner. Mum could shout us dinner. > Mum could shout us dinner. > Yeah. ...much more family time. How are things with the family? Oh, it's so much better. The other day, my brother told me he was proud of me. And that was` I almost burst into tears. And what used to be torture... Should I grate the...? > Should I grate the...? > ...parmesan. That'd be good, actually. ...is now where Phoebe's learning to find happiness. Where is your happy place these days? Having the whole family round for dinner, which is crazy. because I couldn't stand that, because so much food around, and I couldn't be a part of that. Do you cook? Do you cook? Yeah, I love cooking. It seems a bit weird, having an eating disorder and loving cooking. It seems a bit weird, having an eating disorder and loving cooking. It's bizarre. We all love to be together, and, um,... it is lovely to sit down and have meals that aren't stressful... (CHUCKLES) and that is sheer enjoyment of the food and, um, the family. CHATTER I'm happy now. I don't hate myself any more. I don't hate the person that I've become, and I don't hate how I treat my family. I'm starting to like who I am as a person ` not just image, but inside, as well. Gosh, what a gorgeous voice she's got, eh? Since we finished filming with Phoebe, she has decided to extend her time on the three-day programme at Thrive. She says she feels she needs the help and support provided there for just a little bit longer. If you have family or friends in need of help for an eating disorder, contact details will be on our Facebook page. Next up on 20/20 ` a hair model loses her hair and documents the painful lengths she went to to try and get it back. Georgia kept her alopecia a secret, wearing a wig even to auditions. And she would go to agonising lengths to get her hair back. First trying acupuncture. (GROANS, WINCES) The acupuncture was definitely the most painful. It looks like she's literally hammering your head with nails. It's a hammer with seven needles on it. And they just bang it across the scalp. (GROANS) A Welcome back. Georgia van Cuylenburg had such a great head of hair, she used to work as a hair model. So imagine how she felt when she started losing it. Clumps of it would fall out at a time. And with the realisation that she may well go bald, she decided to document the lengths she went to to get a full head of hair back. 20/20's Elizabeth Fargas finds a young woman who's learnt to let go and embrace who she is. FUNKY MUSIC Everywhere you look, we are a culture obsessed with hair. And nowhere is it more important, it seems, than Hollywood, where good hair is a must. So, for an aspiring actress like Georgia van Cuylenburg, her success has a particularly challenging hurdle. She is bald. If I wasn't in the industry, I wouldn't have to care so much. I think it's very ironic, because I used to always say, you know, the hair's one thing I like. And now it's, like, 'Really? That was smart.' (CHUCKLES) (CHUCKLES) It went away. Now I have to look at the rest of me. But this wig. I mean, this is my natural colour. Like five million others in this country, Georgia suffers from alopecia an autoimmune disease that causes sudden and often unpredictable hair loss. Are those eyebrows your eyebrows? Uh, they're not. And eyelashes? I have three of my eyelashes. And so, do you have body hair? Um, I have a little bit of body hair. Growing up in her native Australia, Georgia was always insecure about the way she looked, but the one thing she loved about herself was her beautiful hair. In fact, she became a hair model. I had this thick, like, amazing hair that was literally, like ` I had natural blond highlights, the kind of ones that women pay lots of money for. At 18, Georgia moved to Los Angeles to pursue her dream of becoming an actress. Soon she was appearing in advertisements. She got a part on a kids' show and was doing voiceovers for a major videogame. But one day the former hair model would wake up to her worst nightmare. She would lose her most prized asset. You said it started one morning in the shower. In the shower. If I put my hand through it, it would just` instead of, like, rubbing, it would rub out. The hair would just come out. Are you talking handfuls? Are you talking handfuls? Handfuls of hair. Devastated, Georgia struggled to come to grips with the horror of losing her hair. But through it all, she and her then boyfriend began filming her most vulnerable moments. Today I don't feel very pretty. It would later become a documentary. What can I do? I don't have hair. People all said, 'Don't tell anyone. It will ruin your career. 'People will judge you, they will see as you sick, they won't hire you. You'll never work again.' Feeling shame and embarrassment, Georgia kept her alopecia a secret, wearing a wig, even to auditions. And she would go to agonising lengths to get her hair back. First trying acupuncture. (GASPS) The acupuncture was definitely the most painful. Sorry, hon. GASPS: It's OK. It's unbelievable what you endured. It looks like she's literally hammering your head with nails. It's a hammer with seven needles on it, and they just bang it across the scalp. (GASPS) 'This is so much pain. Is it worth it?' Georgia would choose to endure another excruciating treatment smearing an ointment on her head every night that burned her scalp in hopes of creating new hair growth. I didn't sleep so well last night. My head was burning so much. On my back, it's so sore. At one point you show the back of your head, and it's` it's raw. I mean, it looks like it's been boiled. It`It's difficult to watch. It was never, 'Look how brave I am.' It was more about, 'I want people to get how much we try to do something 'and how much we'll go through...' 'and how much we'll go through...' ...to have hair. 'and how much we'll go through...' ...to have hair. Yeah, to have hair. I'm burning. I was just, like, 'This is ridiculous.' Ow. It's not worth going through this pain any more. I need to be honest and be real. Slowly it began to crystallise for Georgia that her desperate efforts weren't working. You made a decision at some point, after you'd lost a vast majority of your hair, to just shave your head. Yes. Yes. Was that hard to do? It looked like it was. It was a huge moment. (GIGGLES) It's an egg. That first moment you saw yourself bald in the mirror, what did you think? 'Oh my God.' I had no hair. It was freedom. But just as Georgia began to accept her hair loss, her hair began to reappear, giving her new hope. It's coming back. It's coming back. Keep growing back. Keep growing. Do it. So, my hair's come back. Georgia would return to the very salon where she was once a hair model, picture still up on the wall. They said they'd give me a proper haircut to make it look all groovy. But her new haircut would conjure up unexpected emotions. I got my hair cut today. I got my hair cut for the first time in two and half years. Oh my God, I don't have long hair any more. I don't feel beautiful. I don't feel sexy. I don't feel like anyone's gonna look at me or notice me or anything. Why was that so emotional for you? I have hair again, but it doesn't look like me. It was a real shock of, 'I don't feel beautiful right now,' and I thought when I got better, I would. Like, I just had that thing again of being in the shower and seeing little clumps in my hand. Georgia didn't have long to dwell on the length of her hair ` the scourge of her disease would strike again. I hate that. It goes in your mouth. Again, she would have to figure out how to cope. But this time her emotions wouldn't be dictated by the random cycles of a disease. This time she would take control. Pretty soon, I got the bug. I was almost having trouble keeping my wig on. You are a very beautiful person. This is it. This is the real me. My only option was to start focusing on the things that make me the happiest. I started meeting kids. This beautiful blond hair... isn't mine. Kids who needed a little help to see the bright side. and sharing my story with them, and magically, as I was helping them, they returned the favour tenfold. For Georgia, it had been a long and arduous journey, but now instead of viewing her disease as a burden, she would start to see it as an amazing gift. Thank you so much! This is my role, and what my truth can actually do to help others is way more important than feeling sorry for myself. Next up on 20/20 ` is that pretty young girl offering you a drink at the bar just being friendly, or is there more to it? 20/20 uncovers a gang of so-called bottle girls. A single guy on vacation in Miami. Bolaris was having a drink at a South Beach bar when he was approached by two women who sounded Russian. Next thing I know, I'm in a cab with a big painting. I woke up in the morning, painting leaning up against the dresser. And, uh, I had red wine on my shirt, fully clothed. Bolaris had been targeted by a suspected Eastern European crime ring, running a string of suspicious Miami clubs. a Welcome back. Here's how it worked: beautiful women would lure vacationing men into their nightclub, and once inside they got the men drunk and, investigators say, racked up huge and often fraudulent tabs on their credit cards. But one victim, a TV weather man, in fact, fought back and spurred an FBI investigation and bust. Tonight we take you inside that undercover investigation of an Eastern European crime ring operating in Miami. FUNKY MUSIC Welcome to the Miami club scene. Leave your troubles outside. In here, life is beautiful. In fact, everyone is beautiful. You'll also find a special animal ` so-called bottle-service girls ` hard at work in hotspots around the country. They're trained to bring out the party monster in men. On this new reality show, you can see how these pied pipers for partiers lead guys down the path of spending big bucks for bottle after bottle of booze. But there are some who would take criminal advantage of this paradise. Just ask John Bolaris, a TV weatherman and a familiar face to many viewers in New York and Philadelphia. Heavy snow tomorrow night, taking you right up until about midnight, and then it begins pulling away. A single guy on vacation in Miami, Bolaris was having a drink at a South Beach bar when he was approached by two women who sounded Russian. They come over and say, 'Do you wanna do a shot?' I go, 'No. No, I don't wanna do a shot.' But he says these girls just wouldn't take niet for an answer. One comes behind me. She rubs my shoulders, pulls back my head and goes, 'Come on. Do a shot.' I said nh-nh. The other goes` I said, 'All right. I'll do a shot.' Did the shot, said shht. They came across very cutsie and very sincere and very nice, like the girls next door. This wasn't a hooker-type thing. Any fooling around? Any fooling around? Never. After a few drinks, they were all in a taxi, heading to another bar. Bolaris says they ask him if he minds stopping off to see a painting a friend is selling for charity. He agrees. That's when he says things get weird and the weatherman's memory gets cloudy. I remember standing up, Chris, signing something. Vaguely. Next thing I know, I'm in a cab with a big painting. I woke up in the morning, painting leaning against the dresser. And I had red wine on my shirt, fully clothed. Now I'm thinking, 'Something happened, but what?' Then, surprisingly, he says the girls call him again. 'We wanna return your sunglasses. And we had a very nice time last night.' I'm, like, 'Huh. How bad can they be?' Bolaris also wants to return the painting. He says he has no idea what it cost him. So amazingly, he gets in a cab with the girls again. This time, he says, 'just to return the art.' But soon he pulls up to an unmarked storefront. I stayed in the taxi. They whistled me in. I said, 'No, I'm gonna wait here.' 'Just come on.' And next thing I know, I'm passed out. Again? Again? Gone. Where do you wake up that time? In my bed, at the hotel. In my bed, at the hotel. How do you feel? Horrible. I felt very sick. I'm extremely worried, but I don't know what happened. I can't tell you, because I have no clue what happened. He says he is completely mystified. That is until American Express calls, concerned about some charges. And they said, 'Were you at a caviar bar?' I said, 'No. I don't even know a caviar bar existed. How much? What did you pay up for? How much? What did you pay up for? $43,000. Have you ever spent that kind of money? Have you ever spent that kind of money? Never in my life. That included $2500 for the painting. But AmEx has no mercy. They tell Bolaris that one bar manager, Stan Pavlenko, he has proof the charges were legit. She goes, 'Call Stan.' I said, 'Excuse me, who's Stan?' 'Oh, Stan's the owner of this high-end caviar bar.' Stan's proof ` a photo of Bolaris in the bar. But Bolaris is convinced he was drugged and the girls ripped him off. Now, you may be shaking your head about this story. And many back home in Philadelphia may have been as well. But you know who took him seriously? The FBI. They believed Bolaris had been targeted by a suspected Eastern European crime ring running a string of suspicious Miami clubs. The scheme began here at the Miami Airport. The FBI set up surveillance cameras as alleged ring members greeted the sexy young women they'd brought in illegally from Eastern Europe ` the source of so many scams in the US, says former FBI agent and ABC consultant Brad Garrett. The number one priority in organised crime to investigate is Russian and Eurasian organised crime. The FBI also infiltrated a club, with an undercover agent posing as a bouncer. He was able to record the action as he drove girls night after night to the South Beach bars and clubs where men with money could be found. You always wanna look for the most vulnerable people. And typically easy targets and the most vulnerable are people from out of town. Those men were lured back and into clubs run by the alleged crime ring. Uh, can I go inside? Watch as the bouncer and the women pretend to be strangers so the suckers won't suspect. OK, next up on 20/20 ` the FBI set up the sting and set a trap, as the hunters become the hunted. We'll take you inside the club, where the temperature rises fast. Watch as the shirt comes off. Then goes the belt. And the con is on. See what's next. a Welcome back. In part two of our story Bottle Girls, we go inside the clubs as the FBI investigates a crime ring using pretty girls to part men from their money. But is it illegal, or is it simply good marketing? This may seem like a bad boy caught on surveillance video doing bad things, but according to the FBI, it's the woman who's the criminal. She and other so-called bottle girls worked in cahoots with clubs run by an alleged Eastern European crime ring. Their job, the FBI says, was to lure men away from swanky South Beach hotspots and take them to their clubs and then take their money. It's very obvious now these girls want me to drink. You know, they were just so aggressive with the alcohol. Brett Daniels is a single guy and a professional magician who's travelled the world with his act. But here in Miami he says he was the one who fell for an illusion. I'm a magician. I'm very familiar with cons and swindles. And they got me. Unlike John Bolaris, Brett's memory is as vivid as it is painful. He says he was brought to this club by some bottle girls. He says they told him the vodka shots were on them, but after about 45 minutes of living la vida loca, he became suspicious the girls were only drinking water. So he reached for one of their glasses to check. Boom. She knocked it over. Pretty good sleight of hand. Brett wasn't imagining things. The women's goal? To order as much alcohol as possible without getting drunk themselves. Watch this woman tossing out her drink, caught by FBI cameras just after her customer steps away. Whether it's right or wrong, it happens all the time. Jonathan Davidoff, an attorney for one of the girls, has no sympathy for the men. It's a great marketing plan, to be honest with you. Uh, to send attractive women to go meet guys and bring them back to a club. I see nothing illegal about that. But feds say what happens after the guys were good and drunk is illegal. Former FBI agent and ABC consultant Brad Garrett. You've now diverted their thinking about, 'Am I getting ripped off? 'How much should this wine or champagne actually cost?' Uh, and then you've got them. When Brett asked for his cheque, he had to pick his jaw up off the table when he saw the total ` over $1300. I drank a Heineken and the vodka was on them. It shouldn't be this much money. Yet the scam investigators caught on tape goes way beyond overpriced booze. Remember Bolaris got stuck with that painting? In other cases, the FBI says customers' signatures were forged, and they were billed hundreds or thousands of dollars for alcohol they never even ordered. One bar manager was caught on audio tape explaining how bottle girls can lead the guys on with the promise of sex. The only right answer is, 'Yes, but later. Yes, but later. A little bit later. 'Later. Later. Later. Later. Later.' Both Daniels and Bolaris say they never had any sexual interest in the girls who approached them. Still, it's hard to see you as a victim. In my heart, in my soul, I know I'm a victim, no matter how, at times, cartoonish they make it look. Nobody handcuffed these guys and brought them in. They went voluntarily. Why did they go? Cos there were hot chicks leading them there. Exactly. And what were they thinking was gonna happen at the end of the day? Something good. Something good. And when it didn't happen? That's when people complain. But he's been misled by two girls who are major... Once they realise, it's already too late. Thanks to a tactic allegedly adapted from Eastern Europe. If you didn't pay the outrageous bill at the end of the night, they would threaten to break your legs or your fingers if you didn't pay it. They can't do that here, so they found a state like Florida that has an innkeeper law. Under that law, you have to pay the bill immediately or face arrest. You can then dispute it later. Brett says he found that out when he was ushered into a back alley by men with Russian accents and the club bouncer who identified himself as an off-duty cop. He says, 'Pay the bill, or you're going right to jail.' And I'm thinking, 'I'm in a back alley. It's late. I'm here by myself. 'I'm under the implied threat of perhaps being beaten up, definitely going to jail. So he paid his bill. And I signed it, but I signed it with a gun to my head, not literally, but very close. What he didn't know was that the cop was working undercover for the FBI. Finally, after a 13-month investigation, the Bureau felt it had enough proof to make a case. So the undercover agent pretended to celebrate his birthday. As the staff gathered, agents swooped in for the arrests, including Jonathan Davidoff's client. For what my client did, for what she's guilty criminally, was coming into this country illegally. But lawyering aside, his client and several other girls also pleaded guilty to fraud. I'm Chris Cuomo, 20/20 ABC News. Nobody wanted to talk to us, so we made an early morning call to another indicted alleged night stalker, Stanislav Pavlenko. I'd like to talk to you about this alleged fraud that the government says you're a part of. He's the same Stan the bar owner who told AmEx that Bolaris' $43,000 tab was legit. You don't wanna say a thing about the charges? You know they're serious? No. No. Because? I spoke with my attorney. I wanted to go public, but he thinks that anything can say ` you understand ` used against me. Pavlenko has pleaded not guilty to all charges. But today he didn't want to make his case. Do me a favour ` shut it off and delete the footage. I won't delete it. If you want, we'll leave. But` No, I said delete the footage. Shut it off. Shut it down. Shut it down. < No. < No. No? OK. Hopefully for him, he'll get what he wants at the trial this fall along with the other accused main players. As for the victims, Brett Daniels' bank refused to refund him a dime. And only after suing did John Bolaris get his $43,000 back from American Express. And though the weatherman is nervous about testifying against an alleged Eastern European crime ring, he is happy to get his chance for payback. I could have rolled over and taken it, but I did not. I fought back. After the break, something a little bit lighter. Emma Keeling meets Simon Baker, the man behind The Mentalist. Is he gonna get any lovin'? Cos the man needs a hug. I think he needs a little more than a hug. I think he needs a little more than a hug. Well, that's true. I didn't want to be that blatant, but off you go. I didn't want to be that blatant, but off you go. (GIGGLES) Come on. You're as brassy as the next one. Um, I think, uh... Yeah, I dunno. It's a good question. I often ask that one. Uh, I dunno. Strepsils is clinically proven to both soothe and effectively relieve Hello? Guys, my throat's killing me. Don't let a sore throat hold you back. MAN: Not all throat lozenges are the same. Strepsils is clinically proven to both soothe and effectively relieve the pain and discomfort by coating deep down in your throat where it hurts. Let's do it! Whoo! Strepsils ` deep-down relief for sore throats. WOMAN: Combine New Zealand's trusted brands so you don't lose a day. I remember I got offered a job, but I thought, 'I can't do This and have younger girls looking up to me, a Welcome back. It was a cliff-hanger finale last year, and next week, season four of The Mentalist begins. Last time we saw him, star of the show Patrick Jane shot and killed the man who murdered his family. Or did he? We sent Emma Keeling to LA to interview the man himself, Simon Baker. Unfortunately, she tells us she got a little bit distracted and didn't actually find out much about what will actually happen next. But, she tells us, she did make him blush. 'THE MENTALIST' THEME MUSIC Simon, have you become Patrick Jane? You're wearing the vest. Has this become your thing? I wear this like a suit of armour when I have to do interviews. No, I'm just kidding. Maybe; maybe not. He was doing promotional stuff for The Mentalist. Show me the mystery. Show me TV2. The Americans love the Aussies. I have a brilliant plan, which requires your help, but we must act now. (GROANS) (GROANS) I'm in. Yep. Yep. Me too. Thank you. Has the Aussie accent completely gone, or does it come back when you go back to Australia for a visit? Well, it comes back when I` when I've had a couple. Um, or generally when I'm talking to an Australian on the phone ` comes back thick. Yep, Simon Baker's come a long way. He's a big TV star in America; has actor cred; been nominated. NEEDLE SCRATCHES But in 1991 he didn't wear vests, or much else. This is a music video, by the way. Don't judge. He was born in Tasmania ` a fact that's killed careers, allegedly. So, you go back to Australia, and everybody hassles you about Tasmania, still. < Cos they never let that go, do they? No, they never let anything go. Are you kidding? Nor do you lot. Anyway. You won a World Cup. About time. Now you're all full of yourselves. Yeah, we are. Do you watch a lot of sport over here? Yeah, we are. Do you watch a lot of sport over here? I watch what I can. I love it. That's one of the things that immediately brings me back to home is watching sport. If I watch a rugby game. If I watch the Wallabies and the All Blacks, it's like... You know, and I often do get up in the middle of the night and watch them, just because it gives me a good thick solid dose of home. Um, and I've got two sons, and one's 12 and one's 10, and I` and they love it. They'll get up and watch it with me. < Jane? < Jane? Yes. Yes? I'm kind of in a hurry here. The 42-year-old has lived in America since the late '90s. # Don't let go. You better hold me tight. Don't let go. Sorry, I can't help myself. Nice talking to you. The Aussies stick together in LA. Nicole Kidman and Naomi Watts are godmothers to his sons. Have you let any Kiwis into the group yet? Or are you just keeping it Aussie? Well, you could argue there's a few` there's a few Kiwis that have, sort of, called themselves Australian for some reason. I don't know why they would do that. for some reason. I don't know why they would do that. No, me either. Um, there's a big one. You're not talking about Russell. You're not talking about Russell. Well, you know, he's a Kiwi. He is. Sometimes we'd like him to be Australian. (LAUGHS) Depends on the movie. Fair weather. Fair weather nationalities. Better talk about the show, rather than... home. Stop patting ourselves on the back about our fabulous nationality. But first... # Don't let go. You better hold me tight. # (SIGHS) Anyway, The Mentalist. You just sound like a man who's reached the end of his rope. OMINOUS MUSIC Rope. The rope. She needed the rope to climb over the balcony to get to the room below. She wasn't targeting Room 605. She was targeting Room 505. In 2008 fans fell in love with Patrick Jane, the man who notices minute details which catch killers. However, his methods are never by the book and often get his police colleagues in trouble. This is totally unacceptable. If I don't get an immediate explanation of what the hell is going on here, I'm walking away, right now. I'm walking away, right now. Walk away. Walk away. Last season, Patrick Jane shot Red John, the serial killer who murdered his wife and daughter. Please, wait. (PANTS) GUNSHOTS End of season three ` all a bit tense. Red John ` is he dead? Isn't he dead? You look like you're off to jail. What's going on? Bradley Whitford's dead. The guy that played Red John. I know that for a fact. Don't worry. He's joking. The rest of it is all part of the mystery and the, you know, um, the illusion that we're trying to create of possibly it's a bigger web, or what's going on. Is Jane actually a sociopath himself? Who knows? Can I get the check, please? What?! What does that mean? I can't leave this interview without getting some hint about the new season. What about Special Agent Teresa Lisbon? Even though Jane drives her nuts, you get the feeling she has a soft spot for him. Let's go. We've got a dead body out there. We've got a dead body out there. Call it in. If we're still here when the security gets here, we're going to be here forever. We've got to keep moving. we're going to be here forever. We've got to keep moving. Wait. Uh, a lot of what to do? We have to find a good spot for a trap to lure Bertram ` a trap that Red John will follow him into. Oh, simple, then (!) You're getting that crazy look in your eyes. Calm down. Is he gonna get any lovin'? Cos the man needs a hug. I think he needs a little more than a hug. I think he needs a little more than a hug. That's true. Yeah. I didn't want to be that blatant, but off you go. I didn't want to be that blatant, but off you go. BOTH LAUGH Come on. You're as brassy as the next one. Um, I think, uh... Yeah, I dunno. It's a good question. I often ask that one. I don't know. Playing it straight. Playing it straight. It's been a long time between drinks, I think for him. Just keep that vest tightly buttoned. He'll be fine. Just keep that vest tightly buttoned. He'll be fine. You're making me blush. (LAUGHS) That was a wacky interview. That was a wacky interview. If you want to see that, or any of tonight's stories again, you can head to our website... You can also email us... Or go to our Facebook page... And let us know your thoughts on tonight's show. Thanks for all your feedback. 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