This next trick may not be so easy for illusionist Criss Angel.
He has made millions on his Las Vegas magic show and television series, "
Mindfreak." But Friday in Nassau County divorce court, his estranged wife suggested it will take a chunk of that fortune to make her disappear.
Angel, born Christopher Sarantakos, 39, of Elmont, started dating the former Joanne Winkhart, 37, of Garden City, 15 years ago, well before he was levitating above the Luxor Hotel in Las Vegas for an audience of thousands, her lawyer and family said. They married five years ago. Then when he hit the big time, he ditched his hometown honey for A-list actress Cameron Diaz, according to Joanne Sarantakos' lawyer.
"He really played the 'Mindfreak' game on her," said Michael Winkhart, Joanne Sarantakos's brother. "He reduced her to a role where she occupied less than 5 percent of his life. "
During a break in court, Angel approached Joanne and her family, putting his hand on his wife's shoulder and trying to shake her father's hand. But the family loudly rebuffed him, and he left the courtroom.
Angel, who toned down his rock-star image -- no makeup or flashy costume -- for his Friday appearance, did not comment after court. But his lawyer, Elliott Wiener, of Manhattan, said his wife's allegations of cruelty, abandonment and adultery are unfounded.
"The notion that she's not being supported is simply not accurate," he said.
Judge Arthur Diamond encouraged the couple to settle the case outside the courtroom. Otherwise, he said, it could be an ugly two-year ordeal. He scheduled a status conference in the case Sept. 19.
But Joanne Sarantakos's lawyer, Dominic Barbara, of Garden City, was raring for a fight. He said he's been surveilling Angel in Las Vegas for six months and has collected some damaging material. He said he will subpoena Cameron Diaz the next time she steps foot in New York and ask about gifts that Angel might have given her.
Angel joked with reporters during a break, gesturing toward his wife's lawyer and saying, "I can make him disappear."
Barbara laughed uproariously at the suggestion. Then, with just a hint of a smile left on his face, he said, "I'm going to rip his heart out."
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