A 69-year-old man who met women on dating apps allegedly convinced them to make false investments with him and ultimately scammed several women out of nearly $2 million, New York prosecutors say.
Clever Casanova dupes five women out of nearly $2 million
Nelson Counne, a 69-year-old New York man who used several aliases, met at least five women, four on dating apps, and convinced them to put money into false investments, allegedly swindling them out of $1.8 million.
Nelson Counne used aliases such as Nelson Roth and Justin Roth and created a false persona, portraying himself as “an independently wealthy retired art dealer and investor with homes in London, Manhattan, and the South of France,” between December 2012 and January 2021, according to prosecutors, who say not only did he not own homes in those countries, but he has never left the US and doesn’t possess a passport, BuzzFeed News reported. Counne reportedly lives on the Upper East Side.
Five lonely hearts get scammed
According to prosecutors, the conniving Casanova scammed at least five women, one he met in person, and four others he met on dating websites, PIX11 reported.
Soon after dating, Counne would move in with the woman, prosecutors allege. Then, Counne would pressure the woman to invest in phony companies or investments, telling the woman these were in a “gray area” that he had insider knowledge of. Some of the companies he would claim to have insider information from Alibaba or startups run by former Google executives, prosecutors said.
After getting a woman to make the initial investment, Counne would hound the woman for more money, telling her it was needed for investment-related expenses, according to prosecutors. Counne then allegedly promised the women they would get their money back and more from the investment, but he kept the money instead.
Prosecutors file fraud and grand larceny charges against elderly Romeo
On Monday, prosecutors arraigned Nelson Counne in Manhattan Criminal Court on fraud and grand larceny charges.
Prosecutors allege that Counne stole more than $50,000 from two separate women and more than $3,000 from a third, according to the indictment, which states that he swindled a total of $1.8 million over nearly a decade.
“He [Counne] allegedly fed lie after lie to women he falsely claimed to have a romantic interest in, enticing them with investment opportunities that never existed while using their funds to repay past victims, lure in new ones, and fund his lifestyle,” said Manhattan District Attorney Alvin L. Bragg Jr.
According to Bragg Jr., the money Counne conned out of women over the past eight years was his main source of income, and he used the money to make himself appear rich in order to attract new victims, as well as repay those who had caught on to him.
A separate case still pending
This is not the first time Counne has been accused of scamming someone. In 2022, he was arrested and charged with allegations of swindling a woman from Greenwich, Connecticut, out of $500,000. That case is still pending.
Attorney says allegations require proof
An attorney for Nelson Counne refutes the claims as nothing but allegations, saying they will fight the charges.
“He’s an elderly man,” attorney Danielle Von Lehman told PIX11 News. “He’s lived in New York his whole life pretty much.”
“These are very serious allegations,” Von Lehman said. “They can make allegations all day. What they can prove obviously is something completely different from that.”
Von Lehman requested that Counne be released on his own recognizance, but the judge deemed him an “extreme flight risk” and set bail at $150,000 cash or $350,000 insurance bond.
