*The ex-wife of Eddie Murphy lost a $7 million chunk of her divorce settlement due to the actions of a brazen con man, federal prosecutors said.
Authorities didn’t name Nicole Murphy in court paperwork unsealed Tuesday, according to the New York Daily News, 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.
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. 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.
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. She became engaged to former New York Giants linebacker Michael Strahan in 2009.
WOW!!! Nicole!! I have the Brooklyn bridge for sale if you are interested. My Goodness!!!
This is definitely not a good picture of Nicole. Anyhows, how dumb can one be?
well nicole isn’t all the cute to me to begin with and I see that she has the brains of a rock too.
Babycakes you took the word from my keyboard – WOW! Guess she forgot that if it sounds too good to be true – it is!
WTF??? Michael should drop this dummy like a hot potato.
All that money, and she didn’t even know WHAT to do with it. What a dolt.
Cosign. I wiould show her what to do with that kind of money and I DEFINITELY would not be snookered into a PONZI scheme. I can hear Eddie laughing at her now, with that cackle of his. LOL!!!!
I’m still laughing at all the comments are on point LOL!!!!!!
He saw her coming! I know she is so embarrased! Eddie is probably somewhere cracking up!
WTF? $7 Million…no monthly statements or investor reports?? And who the hell’s buys luxury cars as props to sell a damn house? You put some damn chocolate chip cookies in the oven and keep it moving!! As previous posters have said…I’m sure Eddie is having a good laught behind this!
And as far as Michael is concerned…he can’t say much after letting his Ms. Becky rob his azz blind in their divorce settlement!!
LOL!!! @ the chocolate chip cookies comment.