In this week’s Last Days column, I cover the saga of Joseph Medawar, the C-list Hollywood producer accused of swindling millions from investors in his make-believe television series. According to Reuters, only one episode of Medawar’s alleged Department of Homeland Security series DHS was ever shot (and only after Medawar learned he was being investigated by the FBI), and the so-called DHS trailer shown to investors was just a collection of clips from other people’s action movies.)

Medawar’s not the only huckster peddling phony TV work for nefarious ends. Meet Steven Michael Jones, the 43-year-old homeless Orange County man charged with lewd conduct after allegedly promising to cast several adolescent boys in a TV commercial, then licking their feet.

From the Associated Press:

Sheriff’s deputies arrested Jones April 14 near the shore in San Clemente. Witnesses told authorities Jones…approached three boys sitting on a bench. The boys had just come off the beach and were not wearing shoes. Jones allegedly promised them a part in a Johnson & Johnson television commercial, telling them he first needed to inspect their feet.

During the inspection, Jones allegedly licked the bottoms of one of the boys’ feet, while the other two boys used their feet to run away. (All were “under 14,” the AP reports.) What’s more, this isn’t the first time Jones has been accused of fradulent underage foot licking:

Jones allegedly used a similar ruse March 28 on four boys near Dana Point Library. He said he’d pay them $1,500 to appear in a commercial, but first had to inspect their feet…Jones allegedly licked the feet of all four boys.

For now, Jones remains held on five felony counts of lewd acts with a child and one misdemeanor charge of child annoyance. If convicted on all counts, Jones faces 16 years in prison. Full story here.