A Toronto man was sentenced to nearly six years in prison for his involvement in romance scams that swindled unsuspecting victims out of hundreds of thousands of dollars. Steve Coelho, who gained notoriety through a Citytv documentary, pleaded guilty last summer to multiple counts of fraud exceeding five thousand dollars, among other offenses. The judge in this case described Coelho's actions as "despicable."
In a recent court appearance, Coelho admitted to defrauding three victims over a year-long period, during which he employed various aliases. These included "Nicolas Mogilaivich," who he portrayed as the supposed billionaire son of a Russian mobster, as well as other fictitious characters such as Terry, his brother, Anna, his twin sister, Alex, the head of Anonymous, and El Jeffe, the leader of a Colombian cartel.
One of the victims, identified as Jennifer, shared her harrowing experience in the Citytv documentary. Jennifer believed she was legally married to Coelho, going so far as to relocate her ailing father from Nova Scotia to Ontario to create a seemingly ideal family unit. This move ultimately led to financial ruin for her family, as her father was forced to sell his home and declare bankruptcy due to the significant debt Coelho accrued in his name before emptying his bank accounts.
Coelho systematically drained tens of thousands of dollars from both Jennifer's savings and those of her neighbor. The investigation conducted by Citytv uncovered that Coelho frequently employed similar deceitful tactics. He would assure victims that he would cover the costs of their vehicles but instead placed loans in their names, often using false information to secure these transactions.
Prosecutors pointed out during the court proceedings that Coelho had a lengthy criminal history, having already accumulated four prior convictions for fraud. Despite his troubling past, none of his victims were present in court to witness the sentencing. Coelho’s time spent in pre-sentence custody, coupled with the dismal conditions at Maplehurst Correctional Complex, resulted in his effective incarceration being reduced to only six months.
Aside from his prison sentence, the court mandated that Coelho reimburse his victims a total of approximately $270,000 over the span of the next 12 years, as part of his penalty for the harm caused by his fraudulent actions. This ruling aims to hold Coelho accountable for the extensive impact of his games on the victims’ lives and finances, while also sending a broader message about the serious nature of romance scams.
