A man from Toronto, whose wrongdoings were revealed in a documentary by Citytv, has been sentenced to nearly six years in prison for his involvement in scams that defrauded unsuspecting individuals of hundreds of thousands of dollars through romance schemes.
Steve Coelho, who confessed to three counts of fraud exceeding five thousand dollars and other offenses last summer, was described by the judge as engaging in “despicable” actions.
In the recent case, Coelho confessed to swindling three victims out of significant amounts of money over a year. He adopted various aliases both in person and online, such as Nicolas Mogilaivich, claiming to be the son of a wealthy Russian mobster, and others.
One of Coelho’s victims, Jennifer, shared, “There was Terry, his brother, Anna, his twin sister. There was Alex, the head of Anonymous. El Jefe, the head of the Colombian cartel,” during an interview with Citytv for the documentary.
Jennifer believed she was legally married to Coelho, even relocating her sick father from Nova Scotia to Ontario in pursuit of a perfect family life. Unfortunately, this decision led to her father selling his home and declaring bankruptcy as Coelho amassed substantial debts in the father’s name and emptied his bank accounts.
Coelho also siphoned off tens of thousands of dollars from Jennifer’s and a neighbor’s savings.
An investigation by Citytv revealed that Coelho repeatedly used deceitful tactics, promising victims to pay for their vehicles but instead securing loans under their names with fabricated details.
Prosecutors highlighted in court that Coelho had previous fraud convictions as part of a lengthy criminal record.
Despite none of his victims appearing in court during the sentencing, Coelho’s time in pre-sentencing custody and the harsh conditions at Maplehurst Correctional Complex have reduced his jail term to six months.
Additionally, the court has mandated Coelho to repay his victims around $270,000 over the next 12 years.