SANTA MONICA— On Wednesday, June 24, a Santa Monica man pled guilty to federal wire fraud after getting four women to invest in his purported businesses.

The man has been identified as 57-year-old Antonio Mariot Wilson. He also went by the aliases of Dr. Tony Mariot and Brice Carrington. Between May 2015 and October 2018, he engaged in romantic relationships with many women and conned them into giving him a total of $387,000. One of the women was “Black-ish” actress Jenifer Lewis. The two met at a gym where Wilson worked as manager and dated for three months after. Wilson met other women through dating apps like Bumble.

“I wasn’t thinking if it’s too good to be true… It was a romance scam. I was investing in a dream… It was so painful… I was embarrassed and I was humiliated, but I stood up for other women,” said Lewis in an interview with Good Morning America.

Wilson falsely claimed to be a Navy SEAL, an Oxford University graduate, and a UCLA professor. His nonexistent businesses, Ultimate FX and 2nd Life, were funded by the women. Their money was used for Wilson’s own lifestyle, he paid off his credit card debt and purchased luxury items.

In 2009, he served four years in prison on wire fraud and tax evasion charges in the Northern District of California. Wilson now faces up to 20 years in prison, his sentencing is scheduled for September 29, 2020.