Houston Chronicle – A Houston man will appear in court this week for pretending to be pop artist Bruno Mars and scamming a woman out of $100,000.
According to ABC30, Chinwendu Azuonwu was charged with third-degree felony money laundering last month.
The victim told authorities she was 63-years-old when she started an Instagram account, and she began to speak with Azunwu, who posed as the “That’s What I Like” singer.
The 63-year-old woman told the police that he made her believe that he was interested in pursuing a romantic relationship, and she fell in love with who she thought was the real singer. Azonwu, and his alleged accomplice, Basil Amadi went the extra mile to legitimize the encounter. They would send photos of Bruno Mars on tour, to make the woman believe it was really the “24K Magic” artist.
She also told investigators that he wanted to quit the tour to be with her. Soon after, she was asked to send the trickster money for “tour expenses” and other costs. He first asked for a check for $10,000, and two days later asked for $90,000.