NEW YORK — A producer who had hoped to bring the psychological thriller "Rebecca" to Broadway as a musical now believes the troubled show was the victim of a giant fraud.
The planned New York production was postponed indefinitely this week amid a growing suspicion that one of its primary investors didn't actually exist.
A secretive businessman named Paul Abrams had supposedly pledged $4.5 million to the show, only to suddenly die of malaria.
Now, a lawyer for "Rebecca" producer Ben Sprecher says he believes the mysterious Mr. Abrams was fictitious.
He says someone staged an elaborate ruse with forged documents and bogus correspondence to make Sprecher believe he was dealing with four potential investors in the show, none of whom were real.
The FBI is investigating.