Welcome to another edition of “Weird and Wacky Wednesdays,” where we delve into the most bizarre and head-scratching stories of scammers getting their just desserts. This week, we’re spotlighting some truly outrageous cons that have ended in spectacular failure. From a faux wife who turned out to be a fraudster, to a man whose tax evasion landed him in prison, and a dine-and-dash duo who couldn’t escape the long arm of the law, these stories are sure to make you laugh and gasp in equal measure!
Till Fraud Do Us Apart
In a tale that sounds like it’s straight out of a soap opera, an Indonesian man from the region of Naringgul on the island of Java, known as ‘AK’ discovered that his new bride, Adinda Kanza, was not the woman of his dreams but a male scammer with a plan to steal his assets. After a year of dating, AK tied the knot with Kanza, who consistently wore traditional attire that concealed the face and refused intimacy.
Just twelve days into their marriage, AK’s suspicions led him to investigate, uncovering that Kanza’s family had no idea about the marriage. The truth came out: Kanza, whose feminine appearance fooled everyone, intended to swipe AK’s family assets. Fortunately, the marriage wasn’t officially filed, and Kanza now faces fraud charges that could result in up to four years behind bars.
To the moon and back!
Speaking of dating and relationship problems, Nikko D’Ambrosio, infamous for suing women who bad-mouthed him on Facebook, found himself in hot water for an entirely different reason—tax fraud.
This Chicago-area man underreported his income from distributing “sweepstakes” gaming machines linked to the mob. His fraudulent tax returns, claiming he earned only a fraction of his actual income, and his outrageous mileage claims (enough to drive to the moon and back) landed him a year in federal prison. The judge didn’t mince words, calling his lies “patently outrageous” and his attempts to seek a presidential pardon “inexplicable.”
Despite trying to blame his tax preparer cousin and pleading his case as a loyal churchgoer and family man, D’Ambrosio’s deceitful ways caught up with him, proving that no amount of social media spin can save you from the IRS.
Deadbeat Dine and Dash Parents
And to finish with more inexplicable behaviour, Ann and Bernard McDonagh, a Welsh couple with a taste for the finer things in life, found themselves behind bars after a spree of dining and dashing. Their scam involved ordering expensive meals, then bolting when the bill arrived
As far as Weird and Wacky Wednesdays go, this is tame so far. However the couple go to the extreme by leaving one of their six children behind as collateral. The child would wait for while and eventually flee to a waiting vehicle.
The couple’s greed and audacity knew no bounds, as they racked up nearly £1,170 in unpaid tabs at various restaurants. Their exploits came to a screeching halt when vigilant restaurateurs posted their images on social media, leading to their capture. Sentenced to prison for fraud, the McDonaghs now face the consequences of their culinary crimes, free meal prison meals for 8 month. Maybe this was what they were aiming for all along.