Miss America Scam: Pageant Suspends Spray Tan Partner, Will Contestants Get Fake Tans In Time For Pageant?

The 89th Miss America Pageant airs Sunday night on ABC and amidst the glitz and glamour is a scam that has several women seeking legal action against the pageant’s spray tan partner, B. Bronz.

Although the show will go on on Sunday night and all 52 contestants will probably have glowing fake tans, the pageant has suspended their relationship with B. Bronze, a business owned by Kelly Richardson. According to the The Trentonian, more than 20 women paid Richardson between $500 and $1,000 to work with in the days leading up to the September 13 Miss America pageant.

At least 12 of the women who paid to work with the pageant’s official spray tanning partner state that Richardson has refused to refund their money. The Trentonian recently uncovered Richard’s questionable legal background that includes unpaid business taxes, arrests for identity theft, burglary, and more.

“Suzanne Richardson, of Santa Rosa, Calif., was arrested for identity theft, burglary… and trying to pass a fake check using a false name. During the arrest, police found paperwork of a new 2002 Ford Mustang driven by Richardson which showed that it had been purchased using another stolen identity.”

According to Fortune, Richardson states that her company, B. Bronze had to “cut down on the number of participants” because there wasn’t enough space for all of the pop-up tanning booths at the event. She also claims that other women who paid were not able to participate because they didn’t pass a required background check.

When asked about the refunds, Richardson stated that she refunded “4 out of 12 women” but her PayPal account was suspended before she could refund anyone else. Although she states that she will give back any monies that “legally due,” many of the women have already taken legal action.

One of the women who is still waiting for her money is Jennifer Kidd, who states that she paid “$1,000 to be part of a pro team of spray tanners” for Richardson’s California-based company. Shortly before Kidd arrived at the Miss America event in Atlantic City, Richardson told her she could not participate due to a “problem with a background check,” but would not answer any of her questions.

B. Bronze became the official spray tanning partner for the Miss America organization in January. The company promotes a line of Miss America-themed spray tan products and features Miss America 2016.

The Facebook, Instagram and Twitter accounts associated with B. Bronze are all currently set to private. When the Trentonian inquired about the Miss America spray tan scam, Richardson told the newspaper, “I don’t know who you’re talking about.”

The 89th Miss America pageant will be televised on ABC starting at 9 p.m. ET on Sunday, September 13.

[Image: B. Bronze]