Michael Portantino, the former
publisher of San Diego gay weekly Gay & Lesbian Times,
committed suicide on Wednesday, the San Diego Gay & Lesbian
News reported.
The 52-year-old publisher reportedly
jumped off the Park Manor Suites Hotel to his death. His body was
discovered by passers-by, who called emergency services.
Portantino's 22-year-old weekly
suddenly ceased publication in October, leaving behind irate staffers
who complained that their checks had bounced.
The San Diego Reader is
reporting that Portantino was being investigated by the district
attorney over claims his newspaper had bloated circulation figures in
an effort to boost revenues.
“I have from an excellent source that
Portantino had been told through his lawyer that the D.A. would be
indicting him,” Don Bauder, the author of the San Diego Reader
blog Scam Diego, wrote.
The allegations of unethical conduct
were first reported in a May 11 story published by the now defunct
San Diego News Network.
In August, Portantino was admitted to
the hospital.
He had told reporters that he had
reached a settlement with the IRS to pay the government back taxes he
owed.