Philadelphia meteorologist John Bolaris—a bar-trawling man-about-town who has been described as a "media self-promoter," "weatherhunk," "publicity hound," and "poonhound"—has lost his job in the wake of a "real-life The Hangover," with a side of Anchorman bluster.

After being drugged and scammed out of $43,712.25 by the Russian mob while on vacation in South Beach, the middle-aged bachelor went on a PR blitz that included a rollicking Playboy tell-all. His employer, Fox 29, suspended him "indefinitely," then pulled the plug on his employment this week.

As for the scam, it occurred over the course of two nights in South Beach in March 2010. "The first night had a beautiful starlit sky, with nighttime temps in the 70s, gentle Miami breezes from the east, slight hint of humidity," the obsessive-compulsive climate-describer told Playboy's Pat Jordan. Bolaris was minding his own business, hanging out at the sushi bar at the Delano hotel when suddenly, Jordan writes in the print edition of Playboy,

"

He saw two women on a swing. Very elegant, beautiful, classy, with jet-black hair and blue eyes… They were smoking cigarettes in that exotic European manner… "I'm a guy," Bolaris says. "There was the thought that I might get laid." It never dawned on him to be suspicious about two gorgeous, elegant women all over him like a wet suit, he says, because "I was used to girls in Philly coming on to me aggressively once they found out I was John Bolaris, the TV weatherman.

"

(Quoting from print edition of Playboy.) And then...

"

They sat at a table in the dark, away from the pool bar…. The girls insisted Bolaris "do shots," and one of them went to the bar. The other one began to massage his shoulders... The girl pried open his mouth and poured down the shot. "Immediately after that," Bolaris says, "I lost all concept of time."

"

According to Playboy writer Pat Jordan, he subsequently wakes up "alone in a taxi" or "alone in his bed in his hotel room." He discovers he is the owner of a painting of "a woman's head… not the head of a woman I'd be attracted to," he tells Playboy in Playboy's interview. His European lady friends call him, tell him he bought the painting at an auction, and invite him to party again that night.

Even though he has reason to believe these ladies drugged and took advantage of him, Bolaris agrees. (Remember: "There was the thought that I might get laid," he told Playboy) On their second night together, the trio goes to a place called Caviar Bar, where he again loses all memory.

He flies home to Philly, where he receives a call from American Express. According to Playboy, he discovers he spent his two forgotten nights purchasing "bottles of champagne every 15 minutes or so," including a $2500 bottle of Cristal Vintage and a $3120 bottle of Dom Perignon. He also paid $2000 for a tin of caviar and $2500 (plus a $500 tip) for the painting, which someone "yanked off the bar's wall" and auctioned to him at 4:35AM. The two-night tab is $43,712.25 and American Express refuses to reverse the charges, according to Playboy and other places that wrote about this, like the Philadelphia Daily News and Philebrity.com and Philly.com.

For months, Bolaris can't use credit cards because he refuses to pay AmEx and his credit rating is shot. AmEx procures Bolaris' signed receipts and pictures of him partying with half-naked ladies. The FBI opens an investigation and indicts 17 apparent members of the Russian mob. The mobsters are accused of scamming at least 88 men in South Beach. Bolaris, the FBI told Playboy writer Pat Jordan, got scammed for "at least 10 times as much as any of the other men were."

"You have to understand," Philadelphia Daily News editor and testicle exhibitionist Larry Platt explains to Playboy. "In Philly weathermen and chefs are stars. John has been a huge star in Philly for years.

[There was a video here]

"In Philly people want to be John Bolaris," Platt concludes while talking to Playboy.

After a long legal battle, AmEx settles Bolaris' bill and pays him $100,000 in damages. But victory is bittersweet: Bolaris is suspended from his job, reportedly because his showboating "upset management." Announcing his permanent exit this week, Fox 29 said the break was "mutual," but in the preceding days he tweeted about "really want[ing] to be back at FOX." His Twitter page still lists him as "Chief meteorologist at Fox," "Fox 29 Weather Authority." During his suspension, he resorted to forecasting the weather by tweet: "Thursday Should see clearing skies , strong gusty winds from west, 30mph+ But still mild , 50s, HOWEVER , Srctic plunge on Friday."

Since splitting with Fox 29 even his weather-Tweets have gone silent.

All block quotes via Playboy. Post has been updated to better reflect Playboy's role in it.