A Florida man has been arrested after impersonating a tech billionaire Elon Musk According to police, in an attempt to defraud an elderly woman of at least a quarter of a million dollars.
Jeffrey Arthur Moynihan Jr. was arrested Tuesday night at his Bradenton home and charged with grand theft.
While the work is allegedly being done under the guise of Tesla And the 56-year-old businessman, CEO of SpaceX, befriended the victim, a 74-year-old Texas resident, on Facebook and started messaging her in 2023.
The victim was allegedly promised a return of $55 million on the investment.
Her husband reportedly told investigators that he was swindled out of a total of about $600,000.
According to a spokesperson for the department, Bradenton Police Detective Jim Currulla was notified by authorities in Frisco, Texas, who were investigating an incident in which a woman allegedly made advances to an entity claiming to be a tech billionaire. A huge amount was given.
About half of that money could be found in banks in Bradenton, the spokesman added, and the accounts belonged to Moynihan.
“The victim was convinced that he had actually invested his money with Elon Musk,” he said, noting that the scammer, or scammers, would regularly give him information about how “Elon” was going. Was working on details from recent news stories to make connections.
The spokesperson added, “The victim felt as if Elon was truly her friend.”
“After ‘Elon’ established his trust in him, he suggested he invest in his businesses. He made many transactions from time to time.
Records obtained by authorities show the victim transferred $250,000 to accounts belonging to Moynihan and his own business, Jeff’s Painting and Pressure Washing LLC.
Bodycam footage shows police approaching a shirtless Moynihan and informing him that there is a warrant out for his arrest.
When he asks about the nature of the allegations – repeatedly asking, “Whose grand theft?” – The officers informed him that he would be briefed by a detective.
When questioned, Moynihan said the $250,000 he had received was for a girlfriend with whom he had a strictly online relationship, according to the department, leaving open the possibility that Moynihan himself was implicated. Was and was the victim of a different scam.
The investigation is ongoing, and authorities in the victim’s home state are working to determine where the rest of her money went.
“The real Elon Musk was otherwise engaged with the latest launch spacex and is not being investigated by BPD,” Bradenton police said in a press release.
(TagstoTranslate)US News(T)Elon Musk(T)Florida(T)Fraud
