Mo. man posed as Grammy winner to get guitars

ST. LOUIS -- Brian Sparks was not a famous musician, but he claimed he was and convinced guitar dealers around the country to send him guitars and equipment.

On Tuesday, Sparks, 42, of the St. Louis suburb Florissant, admitted in federal court here that he had bilked businesses out of about $18,000 worth of guitars and equipment by posing as Grammy-winning guitarist Eric Johnson. Sparks pleaded guilty to one count of mail fraud, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported.

Sparks acknowledged he used the ruse to get guitars shipped to his home. Businesses targeted included Sadowsky guitars in Brooklyn, N.Y., and Larrivee Guitars in Vancouver.

Johnson, of Austin, Texas, gained prominence in 1990, when his instrumental single, "Cliffs of Dover," won a Grammy award.