Peaches Stergo, Romance Scam, New York 2023

Florida Woman Sentenced to 51 Months in Prison for Defrauding Holocaust Survivor of $2.8 Million in Connection with Romance Scam

New York, April 30, 2024 – Peaches Stergo, a 36-year-old resident of Champions Gate, Florida, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Edgardo Ramos to 51 months in prison in connection with her years-long scheme to defraud an 87-year-old Holocaust survivor of his life savings.

U.S. Attorney Damian Williams said, “Peaches Stergo callously defrauded an 87-year-old Holocaust survivor who was simply looking for companionship. She used the millions of dollars in fraud proceeds to live a life of luxury at the victim’s expense. But she did not get away with it. As today’s sentence demonstrates, perpetrators of romance scams will be held to account for their crimes.”

According to the Indictment and other filings and statements made in court, from at least in or about May 2017, up to and including at least October 2021, Peaches Stergo engaged in a scheme to defraud an 87-year-old Holocaust survivor (the “Victim”) of over $2.8 million, which was his life savings.

STERGO met the Victim on a dating website approximately seven years ago. In or about early 2017, STERGO asked the Victim to borrow money to pay her lawyer, who she claimed was refusing to release funds from an injury settlement. After the Victim gave her the money, STERGO said the settlement funds had been deposited into her TD Bank account. In reality, bank records show STERGO never received any money from an injury settlement.

In addition to her prison term, STERGO was sentenced to three years of supervised release and ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $2,830,775 and forfeit the same amount, including the home she purchased in a gated community and over 100 luxury items she purchased with fraud proceeds, including Rolex watches, designer purses and clothing, and large amounts of gold and jewelry.

MANDATORY FACTS

Defendant/Respondent: Peaches Stergo

Criminal Charges: Defrauding an 87-year-old Holocaust survivor of $2.8 million in connection with a romance scam

City and State: New York

Exact Date: April 30, 2024

Sentence or Outcome: 51 months in prison, three years of supervised release, restitution in the amount of $2,830,775, and forfeiture of the same amount

Dollar Amounts: $2,830,775

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