He’s no Starr, just an impostor

There appears to be a con man marching to the beat of a different drummer in Florida.

Police in the coastal city of St. Augustine say a bearded man with a British accent who breezed through town last week was not the real Ringo Starr despite the autographs he signed.

Elizabeth Freund, publicist for the authentic Beatles drummer, said, “I have no idea who that was, but he wasn’t Ringo Starr.”

Among those fooled were the marketing director of the landmark Casa Monica hotel and the St. Augustine Journal, which printed two stories and a photo detailing the faux celebrity’s visit. The photo shows the fake Starr mimicking the real Ringo’s look with round sunglasses, close-cropped hair, a dangling earring and unshaven jowls.

Police said Tuesday that there had been no new reports of the impostor.

The Record interviewed Angie Labutti, a waitress at the Tradewinds tavern, who took a picture with the bogus Beatle and watched him perform “Boys” with the bar’s house band.

She said she is handling the disappointment well: “I think it’s cool I met a guy that looks just like him.”

-- Geoff Boucher