SANTA MONICA—The U.S. Attorney’s Office revealed that Antonio Mariot Wilson, 57, of Santa Monica agreed to plead guilty to a fraud charge on Friday, May 8. Wilson deceived women online into investing in his fake companies to receive money to use for his own personal expenses. He obtained approximately $387,000 from his four victims.
The defendant utilized the names “Dr. Tony Mariot” and “Brice Carrington,” where he met four different women on online dating apps including Bumble. He convinced his victims into artificial romantic relationship before scamming them into offering him thousands of dollars for his “businesses.” These transactions transpired between May 2015 and October 2018.
One of Wilson’s well-known victims includes actress Jenifer Lewis, who he met while working as a manager at LA Fitness.
According to the court documents, Wilson persuaded his victims to donate to Ultimate FX, which he claimed to be a sound design business and 2nd Life, a software business company to deliver animated instructions on applying for government benefits. Officials indicated the suspect claimed he was a navy seal, an Oxford University graduate and a teacher at UCLA, when discussing his credentials to his victims.
Wilson could face up to 20 years in federal prison. He previously pled guilty for similar charges in 2009 and served four years in federal prison for tax evasion and wire fraud. He is expected to enter his official plea in federal court at a later date for wire fraud.
