A 56-year-old man from Bradenton, Jeffrey Arthur Moynihan Jr., was arrested on charges of defrauding a 74-year-old woman out of $250,000 by impersonating Elon Musk. The victim, from Texas, had been communicating with “Musk” on Facebook for several months, during which the suspect offered an enticing investment opportunity.
Moynihan, posing as the famous tech entrepreneur, suggested that with an investment of $500,000, the victim could turn a profit of $55 million. Police tracked the stolen money to accounts linked to Moynihan and his business, Jeff’s Painting and Pressure Washing, LLC, leading to his arrest at his Bradenton home.
Detective Jim Curulla, working with the department’s Elder Fraud Unit, found that the victim had made several large deposits to Moynihan’s accounts. Despite the victim’s husband initially doubting the authenticity of “Musk,” the victim was convinced after seeing news reports about Musk’s activities that matched the scammer’s claims.
Moynihan used real social media posts and photos of Elon Musk to maintain the ruse. In addition to Musk, detectives discovered that Moynihan had also impersonated other celebrities like Johnny Depp and Lionel Richie in similar scams.
Moynihan remains in custody with a $250,000 bond, while detectives continue to investigate the case. Although no other local victims have been identified, Curulla stressed that scams like this are widespread and not unique to Bradenton.
