MAN arrested in scam involving Niki Taylor hospital photos

<br>ATLANTA (AP) _ A 30-year-old man is accused of a scam in which he allegedly pretended to sell photos of injured supermodel Niki Taylor in her Atlanta hospital room. Police said the photos probably

Thursday, May 17th 2001, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

ATLANTA (AP) _ A 30-year-old man is accused of a scam in which he allegedly pretended to sell photos of injured supermodel Niki Taylor in her Atlanta hospital room. Police said the photos probably never existed.

William Siegelin was arrested on charges of theft by deception and obstruction of a law enforcement officer after he allegedly tried to sell the photos to Taylor's representatives, Atlanta police said Thursday.

Taylor, 26, was involved in a car accident April 29 in Atlanta and suffered liver and other injuries. She is listed in critical but stable condition at Grady Memorial Hospital.

Siegelin received $8,000 from a security company representing Taylor's manager last week in exchange for a disposable camera, said Lt. James Sellers, supervisor of the Atlanta Police Department Major Fraud Squad. The camera had no photos in it, he said.

Siegelin told Taylor's manager that a newspaper wanted to buy the photos but he wanted to prevent them from being published, Sellers said.

Sellers said he doesn't believe Siegelin or anyone else took photos of Taylor after her accident.

``He basically cons high-level celebrities,'' Sellers said.

Taylor, the mother of twin 6-year-old boys, lives in Florida and was visiting friends in Atlanta at the time of the accident.

She has been a model since she was barely 14, appearing on more than 200 magazine covers, in ads for Cover Girl cosmetics and Liz Claiborne fashions and in Sports Illustrated's swimsuit issue.