Scammer, 70, is accused of conning at least five women out of more than $1.8 million in Manhattan

A “swindler” accused of bilking at least five Manhattan women out of more than $1.8 million after meeting them on dating sites has appeared in court.

Nelson Cooney, 70, was arraigned on two counts of grand theft in the second degree, one in the third degree plus fraud in Manhattan Supreme Court on Monday.

He told the women he was an art collector and wealthy investor, before conning them by claiming to make huge investments in his fake companies.

Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg said the events date back to 2012, but Kuhn was only arrested on March 13 of this year and has denied the allegations against him.

Counne was previously exposed as a con man with a plot in The New Yorker — who called him “the worst friend on the Upper East Side”.

Judge Gregory Carew ordered Conn, who pleaded not guilty, to be held on $150,000 cash bail or up to $750,000 bond pending his court appearance on May 3.

The suspected con artist had been meeting women at Our Time, which catered to an older clientele, before flaunting homes in London, Florida, and Saint-Tropez as well as a massive mega-apartment near Central Park – 35 East 63rd Street.

He was using the alias Nelson or Justin Roth in his schemes, telling women he claimed to have access to the Alibaba Group and said it was a fake startup he co-owned with a former Google executive.

Soon after the new relationships, he would begin touting investment opportunities to the women, with some claiming to The New Yorker that he would also steal their jewelry to gift his new love interests.

Manhattan Assistant District Attorney Kofi Sanskolot said in court: “In the end, nearly all of his claims were proven false.

He was not independently wealthy and the only money in his accounts came from both confirmed and suspected victims of romance scams.

Furthermore, the money the victims put into his accounts was never used for any investments, but instead was used to perpetuate the illusion of his wealth for new victims and to pay off previous victims who discovered his fraud.

Prosecutors also told the court that Kuhn had never traveled internationally and did not even possess a passport.

He was using dating apps as well as targeting women in luxury hotels and restaurants — including the five-star UES Hotel Carlisle and Surrey.

Victims told The New Yorker that they met him at Campagnola, Bemelmans Bar, and Orsay’s Restaurant while they dallied with him.

Once the women started making initial investments, he would claim they had to give him more money for expenses and staff salaries.

Kuhn claimed that his money was tied up in investments, or that his accounts were frozen due to US and European investigations into his financial activities.

He promised to pay back each of the victims their initial investment plus a large profit within a few weeks.

Last year, he was also accused of defrauding a Connecticut woman out of $500,000, according to a report by Greenwich Times.

His attorney told Manhattan Supreme Court on Monday that he is an “old man” who always appears in court when required.

His criminal history dates back to 2007, Daniel von Lehmann added, but did not provide details.

In 1987, Kony was indicted for the murder of a jewelry dealer, and later acquitted—with the alleged con man being shot multiple times in the chest three years later.

A family member of the jewelry dealer who was murdered, Assistant DA Raymond Castillo said it was “a kind of karma for his past actions” according to The New Yorker.

The New Yorker article details Counne’s relationships with at least four women, dating back to 2000.

All of the women say they met Hennem on the Upper East Side, and Kon introduces himself as a “mysterious” man with lots of money and

Counne also found himself fighting a civil case, filed in 2022, in which he was accused of “owing money to the plaintiff to obtain loans.”

It is unclear if the plaintiff, another woman, is one of the five referred to in the criminal case. Her attorneys are seeking at least $1 million in interest, costs and expenses, as well as damages.

DA Bragg added: ‘It is alleged that for the past eight years Nelson Kuhn’s only source of income has been money he has conned.

He allegedly fed lie after lie to women he falsely claimed had a romantic interest in, luring them with investment opportunities that never existed while using their money to pay off previous victims, attract new ones, and fund his lifestyle.

We urge everyone to be careful when told that there is an investment opportunity that seems too good to be true.

“If you or someone you know has been a victim of fraud, we’re here to help – call us at 212-335-8900.”