Wow! A 36-year-old Florida woman, named Peaches Stergo, is facing up to 20 years in prison after admitting to stealing $2.8 million from an 87-year-old Holocaust survivor, in a “sick” romance scam.
RELATED: Texas Woman Out Of $100K After Believing She Was In Romance With Singer Bruno Mars
Florida Woman Admits To Stealing $2.8M From 87-Year-Old Holocaust Survivor In Romance Scam
On Friday (April 14), Peaches Stergo pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud after admitting that she swindled nearly $3 million out of an elderly man who survived the Holocaust. Stergo also agreed to hand over all the various luxury items that she purchased, and to pay 2,830,775 in restitution.
U.S. Attorney Damian Williams, with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, calls Stergo’s conduct “is sick.”
He adds, “Using the millions in fraud proceeds, Stergo lived a life of luxury, purchasing a home in a gated community and a Corvette, taking vacations at hotels like the Ritz-Carlton, and buying thousands in designer clothing, while at the same time causing her elderly victim to lose his apartment.”
RELATED: FBI Reveals Americans Lost $1 Billion To Romance Scams Last Year
According to the indictment against Stergo, she met her victim on a dating website several years ago. Upon connecting, she asked to borrow money from the man. She claimed that she needed financial help to pay an attorney in early 2017, so that he would help her receive funds from an injury settlement, that never even existed.
Being that there was never a settlement to draw money from, no funds were ever deposited into her account. So, she continued to demand more money from her victim, which lasted over the next four and half years. In total, the man wrote 62 checks equaling over $2.8 million.
RELATED: Omarion Speaks Out After Woman Claims She’s Engaged To Him & Sent Him $4,500: ‘Be Smart Family’
The indictment against Stergo also claimed that she impersonated a TD Bank employee, and even created fake invoices from the bank to help her con the older man, who ended up losing his life savings and his apartment during the scam.
As mentioned by the U.S. Attorney handling the case, Stergo’s romance scam saw her using her victim’s money to go on several shopping sprees.
The Florida woman hit up designer stores like Louis Vuitton and Hermes. She also purchased several cars, including a Corvette and Suburban. She bought a boat, and went on luxury vacations, staying at resorts like the Ritz-Carlton, and more.
RELATED: Atlanta Police Warn About Scammers Placing Fake Parking Citations On Vehicles
#Socialites, be sure to check out the post below, then leave us your thoughts in a comment after!
View this post on Instagram