Becoming a celebrated Hollywood star may seem like a dream come true, but what people fail to understand or realize is the fact that being so famous comes with responsibilities, as well as a huge sense of caution.
This became apparent when the names of big stars like Sylvester Stallone and Arnold Schwarzenegger were being used by a con artist to con people.
Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone
In a recent court case from England, reports poured in of a conman that was hosting black-tie events and fan gatherings by putting the names of famous sportspersons and celebrities from all walks of life in the past years, for which to attend, people would have to pay a substantial sum of money, only to be robbed away from them and their service providers by the perpetrator.
Con Man Used Sylvester Stallone And Mike Tyson’s Names To Host Fraudulent Events
Sylvester Stallone and Mike Tyson
One of the biggest names of the action genre from the golden era of Hollywood will naturally have a fan following to match his reputation, which Sylvester Stallone definitely possesses.
Along with him, the biggest name in boxing history, which goes to the Undisputed Heavyweight Champion Mike Tyson, both these names were used by Conman Stephen Oleksewycz to host fake black-tie events and gatherings to rob people of their hard-earned money.
Oleksewycz owned and operated a company named An Experience With . . ., which specialized in hosting live and online events where patrons could buy tickets to experience the presence of their favorite celebrities like the aforementioned stars while also getting a chance to meet and greet them in person.
The long list consisted of A-List celebrities like Arnold Schwarzenegger, Mel Gibson, and Al Pacino to name a few.
But all of this was a sham, as the businessman had declared bankruptcy in the past.
This led to the events being hosted surely, but the organizers were never paid the money they deserved.
On one occasion, he had promised the appearance of the Terminator star to the fans, which sold a whopping 60,000 tickets costing up to $428 each. But just hours before, the event was canceled.
This went on for a long time, until 2017, when Oleksewycz promised the gathering event where fans could meet Irish MMA icon Conor McGregor, and got busted.
How The Conman Was Caugh
Conor McGregor
In 2017, when 5,000 fans paid to see the UFC Champion in Manchester, the organizing company hadn’t received their payment, and they never did even after the event was concluded.
The prosecutor of this case revealed that Oleksewycz purposefully hid the credentials that would’ve exposed him sooner to these hosting companies, while also presenting fake documentation to substantiate his ability to pay the service providers, which led him to swindle thousands of Dollars from them.
Therefore, this past Thursday, the conman was finally convicted of his crimes, and sent to prison with a 27-month sentence and $70,200 in compensation to his victims.