Holocaust Survivor Robbed Of Life Savings By Dating App Swindler

A 36-year-old Florida woman could spend up to 20 years behind bars after allegedly swindling an 87-year-old Holocaust survivor out of his life savings. Peaches Stergo reportedly met the man on a dating app and shortly after began to take money from him, eventually defrauding the man out of $2.8 million, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

  1. Peaches Stergo used the name “Alice” online. She first met the victim, who remains unnamed, on a dating site roughly six or seven years ago. She first asked him for money in 2017, allegedly to hire a lawyer after she failed to receive a settlement from an injury case. However, that was a lie — there was no such case.
  2. She continued to get more money from the man. CNN reports that Stergo often received monthly checks from the victim of $50,000. She would continue to play on the man’s sympathies by claiming he bank account would be frozen if she didn’t get more money and she’d never be able to repay him.
  3. Peaches Stergo received 62 checks from the victim. The swindle cost the man his entire $2.8 million life savings and got him evicted from his apartment. In contrast, Stergo used the victim’s money to live a “life of luxury.” She bought a boat, luxury cars, a condo, and a home in a gated community. She also purchased a variety of designer clothing, jewelry, and gold bars.

Eventually, Peaches Stergo was caught red-handed

peaches stergo mugshotSDNY

  1. The victim eventually told his son about the scam. However, at this point, he still believed he would be paid back. When his son explained that his father’s money was gone for good, the checks stopped coming. They then contacted police about the crime.
  2. Stergo has now been charged with one case of wire fraud. The US attorney’s office for southern New York announced Stergo’s arrest in a statement. “Today we allege the defendant callously preyed on a senior citizen simply seeking companionship, defrauding him of his life savings,” said FBI assistant director Michael J Driscoll. Stergo will appear in a Florida federal court in the coming weeks.
Jennifer Still is a writer and editor with more than 10 years of experience. The managing editor of Bolde, she has bylines in Vanity Fair, Business Insider, The New York Times, Glamour, Bon Appetit, and many more. You can follow her on Twitter @jenniferlstill
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