Broadway Agent Charged in $1.8 Million Theft from Clients

Talent agent Mark Measures stole nearly $2 million from struggling actors he represented, Manhattan prosecutors announced Tuesday. Photo: Steven Hirsch

by Chris Peterson, OnStage Blog Founder

Every now and then, a headline hits the theater world that stops you cold. This is one of those moments.

Mark Measures — longtime talent agent and president of Kazarian/Measures/Ruskin & Associates (KMR), whose client list reads like a who’s who of Broadway — has been indicted for allegedly stealing more than $1.8 million from the very actors he was supposed to represent. It’s the kind of betrayal that hits deep in a community built on trust, hustle, and endless callbacks.

According to the Manhattan District Attorney’s office, Measures didn’t just skim a little off the top — he’s accused of siphoning off funds from 160 performers over the course of several years. And if that’s not enough to make your stomach turn, the indictment also includes allegations of stealing wages from his own employees. Between June 2021 and March 2024, Measures and KMR allegedly pocketed over $26,000 in retirement contributions from six staff members at the agency’s New York office.

Here’s the reported scheme: Measures and KMR would receive checks made out to actors — for commercial work, residuals, TV gigs, you name it — but those checks would quietly disappear into the agency’s own accounts. When clients followed up, they'd hear familiar excuses: the bank is delayed, the check is in the mail, earthquakes, everything's just taking a little longer. But in reality, those checks were allegedly paying off creditors and covering luxury personal expenses. We’re talking retail splurges at high-end clothing stores such as Zegna, Saks Fifth Avenue, and Revolve, as well as splurging $55,000 on seats at the Crypto.com Arena — anything but the rent or health insurance bills those artists were counting on that money to cover.

These weren’t all household names, either. Many of the clients were working actors — the kind juggling day jobs, riding Equity minimums, maybe landing a network guest spot here or a national ad there. Some relied on those checks to cover medical expenses. Messages including emails released by the DA’s office showed Measures’ clients demanding their money from the washed-up agent, including one where an alleged victim is seeking thousands of dollars owed to her for desperately needed medical treatment. Another needed the funds to help with their father’s cancer treatments.

At least two were living with disabilities. Some never got paid for jobs they completed years ago.

While the names of the exact victims haven’t been made public, KMR’s reported client list included Broadway performers such as Eden Espinosa, Ali Stroker, Robyn Hurder, and Kevin Chamberlin.

The DA has charged Measures and KMR with 40 counts, including grand larceny, petit larceny, and a full-fledged scheme to defraud. The office is encouraging anyone else affected to come forward. (You can reach them at 646-712-0298, if you think you’ve been impacted.)

Broadway runs on talent, trust, and a whole lot of people doing the right thing when no one’s looking. This story shakes that foundation. And it’s a reminder — no matter how glamorous the industry can seem from the outside, the people who make it work are often just trying to get paid fairly for an honest day’s work.

More to come as this unfolds. But for now, I think a lot of folks are rightfully furious — and feeling like the real drama this season is happening offstage.