Massachusetts man who falsely claimed he created ‘Kung Fu Panda’ gets prison time
BOSTON (AP) — A Massachusetts man who falsely claimed he first came up with the character and story for the 2008 animated movie “Kung Fu Panda” has been sentenced to two years in prison.
Jayme Gordon also was ordered Wednesday in federal court in Boston to pay more than $3 million in restitution. He was convicted of wire fraud and perjury charges in November.
Man who attempted to defraud @DW_Pictures by claiming he created #KungFuPanda sentenced to 2 yrs in prison. https://t.co/HjRjMlIqf0 pic.twitter.com/WgKkdb8mnR
— U.S. Attorney Massachusetts (@DMAnews1) May 3, 2017
The 51-year-old Gordon had filed a lawsuit in 2011 designed to obtain a multimillion-dollar settlement from DreamWorks Animation SKG.
Prosecutors say Gordon fabricated and backdated drawings of characters similar to those in “Kung Fu Panda,” lied repeatedly during his deposition and destroyed computer evidence.
Prosecutors say beyond what they called superficial similarities, the panda characters and story that Gordon created have little in common with DreamWorks’ movie.
