Andrew Wyrich

Staff Writer @AndrewWyrich

A 52-year-old Clifton man dressed in costume while working in Times Square is charged with stealing money from a tourist, authorities said.

Lester Mengersen, who was dressed as Mickey Mouse, according to several media outlets, overcharged a 21-year-old man from Tennessee for a photo on Friday night near the pedestrian plaza in Times Square that is frequented by people soliciting in costume, police said.

Mengersen and the tourist had agreed that he would be charged $190 for a photo, police said, but Mengersen charged $310 on the man's credit card using a mobile credit card reader.

Later that day, the Tennessee man realized he had been overcharged and notified police, who arrested Mengersen.

He was charged with petty larceny, police said. He is due in court on April 10.

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Several years ago Mengersen spoke in defense of the costumed actors in Newsday, where he recalled switching his costume from Elmo to Mickey Mouse in light of the sexual-abuse charges against Kevin Clash, the voice actor for the “Sesame Street” character.

Masked characters have drawn ire from New York lawmakers for years. Last year, the City Council moved to create new rules for pedestrian plazas that would restrict the costumed characters to certain zones. In 2014, a 25-year-old man dressed as Spider-Man punched a police officer in the face.

Email: wyrich@northjersey.com Twitter: @AndrewWyrich