A New York man once dubbed the "worst boyfriend on the Upper East Side" was sentenced to up to eight years in prison for conning five women out of nearly $2 million through a series of romance and investment scams.
Nelson Counne, 71, who also went by the names Nelson Roth and Justin Roth, pleaded guilty Tuesday to second-degree grand larceny and first-degree scheme to defraud in connection with a nearly-decade-long scam from 2012 to 2021, according to the Manhattan District Attorney's Office.
"Nelson Counne used an expertly crafted persona and elaborate web of lies to convince women to hand over their savings," District Attorney Alvin Bragg said in a statement. "At least five women were conned into pouring money into his supposed investment opportunities – while unknowingly helping him to repay previous victims and lure in new ones," he said, noting the "scale of this fraud is remarkable."
Counne met most of his victims through online dating apps and "purported to be an independently wealthy retired art dealer and investor with homes in London, Manhattan, and the South of France."
He presented each victim with phony investment opportunities that existed in a "gray area between legal and illegal," according to the DA.
"At first glance, he's a perfect gentleman, but under those fancy clothes, he's nothing but a grifter, a master of disguise," a victim identified only as Ms. Rachel said in a victim impact statement read aloud by prosecutors at Counne's sentencing hearing, the New York Post reported. "He was very charming, handsome, and had a wonderful sense of humor. In every restaurant, everyone knew him. It was like a fairy tale, and I fell in love. But eventually I found out fairy tales don't come true."
Another victim, identified only as Ms. Gerson wrote in a separate impact statement: "I want you to know, you didn't break me. I still go to fine eateries, and you will be rotting in prison!"
Counne apologized for the "pain" that he caused but downplayed the series of swindles as a "misadventure" that was "cruelly" and "wrongly" done, the outlet reported.
