He’ll soon be the “Worst Boyfriend” in state prison.
Two women who had tens of thousands of dollars swiped by smooth-talking scammer Nelson Counne – dubbed the “Worst Boyfriend on the Upper East Side” – ripped the rogue Romeo in court Tuesday as a judge sentenced him to up to eight years behind bars.
“At first glance, he’s a perfect gentleman, but under those fancy clothes, he’s nothing but a grifter, a master of disguise,” seethed one of Counne’s victims, who identified herself only as “Ms. Rachel,” in a statement read aloud by a prosecutor at the 71-year-old conman’s sentencing in Manhattan.
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Another victim, “Ms. Gerson,” said she’d have the last laugh against the man she’d believed to be a dapper art dealer and Upper East Side fine-dining connoisseur named “Justin Roth” – who took $50,000 of her money for a purported “stock” investment that did not exist.
“I want you to know, you didn’t break me. I still go to fine eateries, and you will be rotting in prison!” Ms. Gerson wrote in her victim-impact statement, also read aloud by prosecutor Kofi Sansculotte.
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Counne, ever the conman, tried to dismiss his cruel crimes as nothing more than a “misadventure” to the judge — and even shot a smarmy grin at her when thanking her for letting him speak.
Justice Althea Drysdale was decidely unimpressed and cooly shot back with his prison term, a deal hammered out by prosecutors and Counne’s lawyer. He must serve at least four years and no more than eight years in state lockup.
Counne pleaded guilty earlier this month to second-degreegrandlarceny and other crimes for luring five Manhattan women he met online into pouring $1.8 million of their savings into phony investment scams.
Rachel wrote in her statement that Counneintroduced himself as “Nelson Roth” and claimed to be in town from London on “business” and to have a home in the south of France — which were all lies.
She dated him for years on and off, during which time he took her money for another “investment” which never amounted to anything.
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He once gave her a diamond wedding band to represent their engagement,she said. But she stopped seeing him in 2017 after finding out he was living with a real-estate broker that he’d claimed he was merely seeing to find aConnecticut home where they’d live togetheronce they were married, she said.
“He was very charming, handsome, and had awonderfulsense of humor,” Rachel wrote. “In every restaurant, everyone knew him. It was like a fairy tale, and I fell in love. But eventually I found out fairy tales don’t come true.”
Gerson added, “He used my Credit Cards on other women at the same time he was living with me.
“A month or so later, there was a stock investment that he wanted me to invest in with him. All I needed was $100,000, although I could only come up with $50,000, which I then gave him.
“To this day, I’ve never seen one penny of my investment.”
When asked to give a statement Tuesday, Counne claimed thathe was “sorry for the pain that I caused,” and that he took “full responsibility” — but then quipped, “Look, you know, it was a misadventure.
“It was cruelly done, and wrongly done,” added Counne, who wore an all-tan jail-issued outfit, with his hands cuffed together as he sat at the defense table.
Counne’s lawyer,Danielle Marie Von Lehman, said he’s been suffering from unspecified health issues during his time in city lockup,where he’s been held without bail since his March 2023 arrest. Jail records show that he’s currently housed in the Rikers Island infirmary.
“Nelson Counne is a man who spent his 70th and 71th birthday in jail,” Von Lehman told the court. “He has accepted full responsibility,” she added — before JudgeDrysdale cut her off.
“Because this is all of his making, is that right?” the judge said.
Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said in a statement, “Nelson Counne used an expertly crafted persona and elaborate web of lies to convince women to hand over their savings.
“At least five women were conned into pouring money into his supposed investment opportunities – while unknowingly helping him to repay previous victims and lure in new ones. While the scale of this fraud is remarkable, romance scams are all too common,” the DA said.
Heurged potential other victims still out there to report the crimes by calling212-335-8900.
