Numerous women have accused B. Bronz, the Miss America Organization’s official spray tanning partner since January, of taking their money without allowing them to participate in the event they paid for, the Associated Press reported.
The women supposedly paid between $499 and $1,000 in order to participate in an Atlantic City event hosted by the company. Many of them are now saying that B. Bronz accepted payment without allowing them to participate and are now approaching law enforcement with their allegations.
One of the women, Jennifer Kidd, says she paid $1,000 to be part of a “pro-team,” but was contacted the day before her flight from Toronto to Atlantic City and was told she couldn’t participate because of a problem with her background check. She says that Kelly Richardson, the owner of B. Bronz, refused to answer her questions about the issue.
Richardson said the company had to cut down on the number of participants because it received less space for the event than anticipated, and some of the women failed required background checks. She claims to have refunded 4 out of 12 women before PayPal suspended her account.
B. Bronz’s contract with the Miss America Organization has been suspended, and the organization is currently investigating the allegations. Chelsea Mineur, a Miss America spokeswoman, says the organization “will act on findings accordingly.”