Magician Criss Angel has angrily fired back at allegations and reports elsewhere that he was involved in a physical altercation with one of his employees, Joe Safuto, who performs magic under the name of Joe Monte. Joe says he tape recorded the incident and released a portion of it to the media.

The star of Cirque du Soleil’s “Believe” at the Luxor and “Mindfreak” on A&E can be heard at the start of the tape speaking in a normal voice before an argument begins. Joe says he was subsequently physically attacked, but that report has been denied by Criss.

Ken Woloson, Criss’s attorney, told Vegas DeLuxe, “Criss Angel was in the process of firing Joe on Wednesday when Safuto became abusive, and Criss asked him to leave.”

His decision to fire Joe was in response to repeated complaints from co-workers and other magicians about Joe’s abusive and violent behavior and general ineptitude.

“Witnesses have attested that there was no physical contact by Criss Angel and that Safuto very clearly was the antagonist.

“The audio released to the media is a snippet of a much longer conversation. We are exploring legal action against Mr. Safuto, including for his defamatory and illegal conduct.”

Source: Vegas Deluxe