Motown Imposter Alan Young Accused of Trotting Out Old Con Act

Is Motown imposter Alan Young, right, back in the act?

Back in 2010, local cops caught longtime con man Alan Young's well-worn act. In October of that year, Young was apprehended after a series of cons in which he portrayed himself as Motown singer/songwriter Lamont Dozier, and managed to separate money and goods from those charmed by his anecdotes.

It appears Young may once more be playing that same old song. San Francisco writer Doug Broussard tells SF Weekly that a man claiming to be Motown singer/songwriter Lamont Dozier waltzed into the "Jerk Church" party he was attending Sunday on 11th and Folsom streets, regaled the prettiest and youngest women he could find with stories of his Motown days -- and was later seen picking up a bag a party guest now claims was stolen. Several other bags and backpacks are missing as well.

See also: Alan Young Arrested in 2010

Alan Young Touring San Francisco, Pretending to be Lamont Dozier (2010)

The real Lamont Dozier

The man happily posed for snapshots with party guests, and spent several hours spinning Motown tales -- and promised to fly one female partygoer to Europe on his Gulfstream jet. As the photo accompanying this story indicates, if the man isn't Young, it's his doppelganger. Broussard says the party-crasher was obviously wearing makeup, which would conceal facial blemishes of the sort revealed in Young's booking photo.

Young has a long history of pretending to be minor Motown celebrities. In 2002, he was the subject of an East Bay Express cover story recalling his run impersonating Cornelius Grant.

According to court records, on Jan. 19, 2011, Young was convicted of identity theft for his latest round of Dozier impersonations, and sentenced to five years probation and time served. He is currently on felony probation.

Partygoer Carole Morrell said "Mr. Dozier," in addition to boasting about his jet and writing the song "Baby Love," claimed to be wearing a Brioni jacket. "I stroked the material and it was a beautiful coat. He was wearing a jacket that cost more than my car," she says. "The story he kept saying, repeatedly, is that he was looking through the Bay Guardian for something to do. So he wandered over to the Folsom Street Fair."

Party guest Cara Marsh says she got a bad vibe from the loquacious visitor. The gathering was replete with singers and musicians -- and while the alleged Motown legend did sing, "he kept messing up all the words to the Motown songs."

Update, 1:45 p.m.: The San Francisco Police Department informs us that this isn't the first brush with the law for Alan Young since his 2010 Lamont Dozier tour. Per the SFPD:

On 06/25/12 at approx. 12:03 AM, officers were dispatched to the 500 block of Post St. regarding a pay dispute. The suspect left the establishment with the reporting party's (RP) cell phone. The reporting party also paid the suspect's unpaid tab. The RP flagged down officers in the area, who located the suspect in the area of O'Farrell and Mason Streets.  Officers identified the suspect as, Alan Young, 59 year old male, from Oakland. Young had a outstanding parolee at large warrant from CDC. Young was booked into county jail on the warrant. The RP did not want to file criminal charges regarding the incident.

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