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Eddie Murphy’s ex-wife, Nicole Murphy, conned out of $7 million, feds say
Troy David Stratos charged with fraud, money laundering
BY Nancy Dillon
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
Wednesday, December 21 2011, 7:40 AM
Gilbert Carrasquillo/FilmMagic
Nicole Murphy at the "Water For Elephants" premiere in New York on April 17, 2011.
The ex-wife of comedian Eddie Murphy lost a $7 million chunk of her divorce settlement after some not-so-funny business with a brazen con man, federal prosecutors said.
Authorities didn’t name Nicole Murphy in court paperwork unsealed Tuesday, but a lawsuit filed in Los Angeles last year outs her as the victim of Troy David Stratos' alleged fraud.
Stratos was arrested in Southern California early Tuesday and charged with 11 counts of wire and mail fraud, two counts of money laundering and one count of obstruction of justice.
The indictment claims Stratos persuaded his victim to invest the proceeds of her big-money divorce overseas, saying that’s where the Hollywood fortune would earn a higher rate of return.
Prosecutors say Stratos never invested the money but simply used it to underwrite his flashy lifestyle.
Stratos also told his victim he knew members of Middle Eastern royal families and could sell them her home in Granite Bay, Calif., prosecutors said.
He convinced her to lease luxury Rolls-Royce and BMW automobiles to make the property more attractive, saying that a potential buyer would purchase the high-end cars along with the house in a package deal, according to the federal indictment.
Stupid woman
The financial guidance turned out to be little more than a ruse that allowed Stratos to live in the house rent-free and use the vehicles as his own, prosecutors said. There was never any deal arranged to sell the property to a royal family, they said.
Thom Mrozek, a spokesman for the U.S. attorney in Los Angeles, said Stratos has agreed to be returned to Sacramento to face the charges. He is jailed pending a bail hearing scheduled for Wednesday.
Nicole Murphy, a former model, filed for divorce from Eddie Murphy in August 2005 after a 12-year marriage.
They have four daughters and one son together. Nicole Murphy became engaged to former New York Giants sack king Michael Strahan in 2009.
If convicted, Stratos faces up to 20 years in prison for the wire and mail fraud charges and up to 10 years for the money laundering and obstruction of justice charges.
With News Wire Services
ndillon@nydailynews.com
Troy David Stratos charged with fraud, money laundering
BY Nancy Dillon
NEW YORK DAILY NEWS
Wednesday, December 21 2011, 7:40 AM
Gilbert Carrasquillo/FilmMagicNicole Murphy at the "Water For Elephants" premiere in New York on April 17, 2011.
The ex-wife of comedian Eddie Murphy lost a $7 million chunk of her divorce settlement after some not-so-funny business with a brazen con man, federal prosecutors said.
Authorities didn’t name Nicole Murphy in court paperwork unsealed Tuesday, but a lawsuit filed in Los Angeles last year outs her as the victim of Troy David Stratos' alleged fraud.
Stratos was arrested in Southern California early Tuesday and charged with 11 counts of wire and mail fraud, two counts of money laundering and one count of obstruction of justice.
The indictment claims Stratos persuaded his victim to invest the proceeds of her big-money divorce overseas, saying that’s where the Hollywood fortune would earn a higher rate of return.
Prosecutors say Stratos never invested the money but simply used it to underwrite his flashy lifestyle.
Stratos also told his victim he knew members of Middle Eastern royal families and could sell them her home in Granite Bay, Calif., prosecutors said.
He convinced her to lease luxury Rolls-Royce and BMW automobiles to make the property more attractive, saying that a potential buyer would purchase the high-end cars along with the house in a package deal, according to the federal indictment.
Stupid womanThe financial guidance turned out to be little more than a ruse that allowed Stratos to live in the house rent-free and use the vehicles as his own, prosecutors said. There was never any deal arranged to sell the property to a royal family, they said.
Thom Mrozek, a spokesman for the U.S. attorney in Los Angeles, said Stratos has agreed to be returned to Sacramento to face the charges. He is jailed pending a bail hearing scheduled for Wednesday.
Nicole Murphy, a former model, filed for divorce from Eddie Murphy in August 2005 after a 12-year marriage.
They have four daughters and one son together. Nicole Murphy became engaged to former New York Giants sack king Michael Strahan in 2009.
If convicted, Stratos faces up to 20 years in prison for the wire and mail fraud charges and up to 10 years for the money laundering and obstruction of justice charges.
With News Wire Services
ndillon@nydailynews.com
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