Bruno Mars imposter scammed Texas woman out of $100G
The woman believed she was romantically involved with the singer
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}A Texas woman has been scammed out of $100,000 for falling victim to a catfisher posing as singer Bruno Mars.
A man named Chinwendu Azuonwu has been charged with money laundering, a third-degree felony, for pretending to be the Grammy-nominated artist, according to reports. Azuonwu appeared in Harris County criminal court on Tuesday for a hearing, online court records viewed by Fox News show.
Prosecutors in the case claim the defendant targeted a woman in her 60s online. Azuonwu allegedly convinced the victim he was the "Uptown Funk" performer by sending her photos and text messages from the musician while he was touring.
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}The woman reportedly fell in love with the mock Mars. The fake romance led Azuonwu to begin asking the woman for money. One check she made out for $10,000 was made out to a "friend of the band" for "touring expenses," local station KTRK-TV reports.
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A man was arrested and charged with money laundering for pretending to be singer Bruno Mars and fooling a Texas woman into paying him $100,000. (Reuters)
After the initial check, the defendant and an alleged accomplice named Basil Amadi managed to get another $90,000 from the woman.
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The Bruno Mars catfisher is expected to appear in court again on Wednesday for a bail review hearing.