CITRUS RIDGE, Fla. – A Florida woman with no conscience ripped off an 87-year-old Holocaust survivor she met on a dating site of a whopping $2.8 million. The woman admitted to the ruthless scam, according to federal prosecutors.
Peaches Stergo was identified as the fraudster involved in the years-long sequence of crimes, which cost the elderly victim his life savings. As the man had his accounts drained, Stergo lived a life of luxury that included a home in the Champions Gate community of Citrus Ridge, a Corvette, lavish vacations and designer items, including Rolex watches, the US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York said in a Friday news release.
Stergo pleaded guilty on Friday to the lonely heart scam before U.S. District Judge Edgardo Ramos. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York provided the following case overview:
STERGO met the Victim on a dating website approximately six or seven years ago. In or about early 2017, STERGO asked the Victim to borrow money to pay her lawyer, who she claimed was refusing to release funds from an injury settlement. After the Victim gave her the money, STERGO said the settlement funds had been deposited into her TD Bank account. In reality, bank records show STERGO never received any money from an injury settlement.
Over the next four and a half years, STERGO continued her lies. She repeatedly demanded that the Victim deposit money into her bank accounts. She claimed that if he did not, her accounts would be frozen and he would never be paid back. In total, the Victim wrote 62 checks — totaling over $2.8 million — that were deposited into one of two of STERGO’s bank accounts.
In furtherance of the fraud, STERGO created a fake email account, intended to appear as if it belonged to a TD Bank employee. She also created fake letters from a TD Bank employee and fake invoices.
While the Victim lost his life savings and was forced to give up his apartment, STERGO lived a life of luxury with the millions she received from the fraud: she bought a home in a gated community, a condominium, a boat, and numerous cars, including a Corvette and a Suburban. During the course of the fraud, STERGO also took expensive trips, staying at places like the Ritz Carlton, and spent many tens of thousands of dollars on expensive meals, gold coins and bars, jewelry, Rolex watches, and designer clothing from stores like Tiffany, Ralph Lauren, Neiman Marcus, Louis Vuitton, and Hermes.
After pleading guilty to one count of wire fraud, Stergo faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison. She was also ordered to pay $2.8 million in restitution and forfeit the same amount, including the more than 100 luxury items she bought including designer clothes, purses and lots of jewelry, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, reported. the New York Post.
United States Attorney Damian Williams slammed the heartless opportunist in a statement.
United States Attorney Damian Williams. (justice.gov)
“Peaches Stergo stole the life savings from an 87-year-old Holocaust survivor who was just looking for companionship,” Williams said. “This conduct is sick – and sad. 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. Thanks to the hard work of the FBI and this Office, Stergo is being held accountable for her fraud.”
Stergo is scheduled to be sentenced on July 27.
