Florida Man Arrested for Scamming Elderly Woman by Impersonating Elon Musk
Businessman Fraudulently Promised $55M Investment Return to Victim
Jeffrey Arthur Moynihan Jr, a 56-year-old Florida man, was arrested on Tuesday night for impersonating billionaire Elon Musk and scamming a 74-year-old woman out of at least a quarter of a million dollars. Moynihan, who lives in Bradenton, posed as Musk in 2023 and reached out to the elderly woman, a Texas resident, through Facebook.
Moynihan allegedly promised the victim a $55 million return on an investment. However, the woman ended up losing a substantial amount, with her husband reporting a total loss of $600,000. The scam began when Moynihan used Musk’s identity to convince the woman that they were friends, regularly updating her on “Elon’s” day with information based on recent Musk-related news stories.
Moynihan now faces charges of grand theft. Bodycam footage from the arrest shows police approaching the shirtless suspect as they discuss the details of his capture.
