A Florida man has been arrested for posing as tech billionaire Elon Musk and scamming a 74-year-old woman out of $250,000.
Jeffrey Arthur Moynihan Jr., 56, was arrested on November 19 at his Bradenton home and charged with grand theft.
Moynihan allegedly befriended the victim, a Texas resident, on Facebook in 2023, where he pretended to be Musk.
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Over time, he gained the woman’s trust by pretending to offer her lucrative investment opportunities, including a $55 million return on investment.
Moynihan built rapport by referencing recent news about Musk’s activities and making the victim feel like they were friends.
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As their relationship progressed, the woman was convinced to invest money into what she believed were Musk’s ventures.
Over a period of time, she transferred $250,000 into accounts controlled by Moynihan, including his own business account for “Jeff’s Painting and Pressure Washing LLC.”
The fraud was uncovered when authorities in Frisco, Texas, investigating a similar scam, tipped off Bradenton police.
Investigators found that much of the money could be traced back to Moynihan’s accounts in Bradenton.
When questioned, Moynihan claimed the $250,000 was intended for a girlfriend with whom he had an online-only relationship.
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Authorities are continuing their investigation to determine where the rest of the woman’s money went.
Bradenton police clarified that Elon Musk was not involved in the scam, noting he was busy with the recent SpaceX launch and is not under investigation.
