following is one post among many in a long and complex saga:
I said I would get back to this group with more information about out Peter experience and since speaking with Betsy last night (as I believe some of you recently have) - I feel better about sharing some of the details now. First of all, let me start by saying that we (me, my husband and family) were with Peter this past March when he placed some of the Binion and Golden Nugget bets shown in the tickets in previous posts... except we didn't know him as Peter Falcone - he told us his name was Peter Serrano - he even had a license which he stragetically flashed to prove it. Our hope is that others will come to realize how Peter operates and "friends" strangers and avoid him at ALL costs. How We Met: Peter must have been watching us in the casino from afar. One morning, we were all in the high roller section talking about the basketball tournament we were in Vegas to watch, who we were going to bet, etc... Peter came over and sat close to us and began playing video poker (Jacks or Better) and was clearly flashing a wad of cash. I noticed him but no one else did. After awhile, everyone split up and I remained behind to play my slot machine - Peter was still playing video poker. It didn't take him long to begin talking to me about betting, the sports book, odds of winning, etc.... Since I'm not a gambler, I didn't really know what he was talking about so I called over my brother and husband. We all got to talking and it wasn't long before Peter started telling us all about the house he lives in on the beach in Malibut (clearly was Betsy's house, not his), how he is a professional gambler who travels from Malibu to Vegas every weekend to place bets, how he has 5 or 6 employees who act as "runners" for him - each owning a section of casinos on the strip, etc... He runs upstairs to his room (so he said) and came down with losing tickets to show us 'how serious a gambler he really is' - in fact, one of the losing tickets for like $22k is the same ticket shown in the previous posts. We aren't really impressed but we do find him interesting and high energy and funny so we invite him to a party we were having that evening in our suite and he shows up. Halfway through the party, we all decide to go ziplining down Fremont Avenue and, against is wishes, he joined us. The line to ziplining was around the corner so out of nowhere, Peter "buys" a place for us on line by giving two girls $300 to get off line and give us their place - and they did. So we all ziplined together, went back to hang out at the suite and talk, etc... He seemed like a lot of fun. He also ordered a stretch limo for a couple he just met thru us to take them back to their hotel that night. He later gave them front row seats to a sold-out show (Jersey Boys). My father also met Peter that night and told us "watch out for that guy - no one is that nice for no reason". Another family friend who met Peter that night as well, who is also an attorney, told us to watch out for him. The next day, Peter wanted to take us all to dinner at a really expensive restaurant on the strip. We told him no, we didn't have time given the basketball game we were heading to so instead we all had dinner together at the Nugget - our treat. During dinner, I started asking him a lot of questions about his business (I often interview people with my work) - I asked him if he had a 401k program, how he pays his employees (he said he finds guys who 1) are married and 2) have kids in school because if he is going to hand over $100k to a runner, he needs to know they aren't going to get up and move to mexico with his money - AND if he has kids in school, etc. he is less likely to leave town. He said he pays his runners @ $75-100k a year plus 1-2% commission on the bets (he said he needed to do this given some legal tax laws that require the runners to be part-owners of his company which, in turn, would legally allow them to bet on his behalf).
The entire time we were in Vegas with Peter, he was constantly on his cell phone - constantly. He said he was "working" and had to constantly be in touch with "his contacts" so he could always understand the lines, when the lines change, etc... It also seemed like everyone knew him in the Nugget sports book, Binions, etc... Peter told us he was "a legend in Vegas, just like a rock star, everyone knows him, etc..." - he even told us he was banned from The Mirage for winning so much in Poker tournaments. I mean, it went on and on and on. He said he went to college at Syracuse but that he dropped out in his junior year after visiting Vegas and realizing he was a sevant of sorts and just had a natural knack for numbers.
So that's how we came to meet Peter Falcone. From that weekend on, we got closer and closer. The relationship between me, my husband, and Peter grew over the next few months (from March thu May). There are SO MANY MORE details to share - I just don't know if any of you care to hear them all - ? I don't want to take up too much real estate on this blog so let me know if you want more. Highlights include: his relationship with Billy Walters, stock market investments, a Reno business Peter wanted to partner on which would require a minimum of $100k but would yield a minimum monthly salary of $35k to start, dinner in NYC - he even had my brother quitting his stable job with benefits to "become a runner in Reno", an all-expenses paid trip to the penthouse suite at Aria - and on and on..... In fact, Peter has continued to call us - up until just one week ago - while in prison. He told us he was "in Rome doing some special work for Billy Walters" - all the while we KNEW he was IN PRISON but never let on - in fact, he still doesn't know we know. The only way we found out about his arrest was through Betsy's attorney friend who called to warn us not to give Peter any money and that he was just arrested, etc... THANK GOD because we were just 1 week away from handing over the money.
OK - that's all for now - let me know if you have any questions and/or would like more information
I said I would get back to this group with more information about out Peter experience and since speaking with Betsy last night (as I believe some of you recently have) - I feel better about sharing some of the details now. First of all, let me start by saying that we (me, my husband and family) were with Peter this past March when he placed some of the Binion and Golden Nugget bets shown in the tickets in previous posts... except we didn't know him as Peter Falcone - he told us his name was Peter Serrano - he even had a license which he stragetically flashed to prove it. Our hope is that others will come to realize how Peter operates and "friends" strangers and avoid him at ALL costs. How We Met: Peter must have been watching us in the casino from afar. One morning, we were all in the high roller section talking about the basketball tournament we were in Vegas to watch, who we were going to bet, etc... Peter came over and sat close to us and began playing video poker (Jacks or Better) and was clearly flashing a wad of cash. I noticed him but no one else did. After awhile, everyone split up and I remained behind to play my slot machine - Peter was still playing video poker. It didn't take him long to begin talking to me about betting, the sports book, odds of winning, etc.... Since I'm not a gambler, I didn't really know what he was talking about so I called over my brother and husband. We all got to talking and it wasn't long before Peter started telling us all about the house he lives in on the beach in Malibut (clearly was Betsy's house, not his), how he is a professional gambler who travels from Malibu to Vegas every weekend to place bets, how he has 5 or 6 employees who act as "runners" for him - each owning a section of casinos on the strip, etc... He runs upstairs to his room (so he said) and came down with losing tickets to show us 'how serious a gambler he really is' - in fact, one of the losing tickets for like $22k is the same ticket shown in the previous posts. We aren't really impressed but we do find him interesting and high energy and funny so we invite him to a party we were having that evening in our suite and he shows up. Halfway through the party, we all decide to go ziplining down Fremont Avenue and, against is wishes, he joined us. The line to ziplining was around the corner so out of nowhere, Peter "buys" a place for us on line by giving two girls $300 to get off line and give us their place - and they did. So we all ziplined together, went back to hang out at the suite and talk, etc... He seemed like a lot of fun. He also ordered a stretch limo for a couple he just met thru us to take them back to their hotel that night. He later gave them front row seats to a sold-out show (Jersey Boys). My father also met Peter that night and told us "watch out for that guy - no one is that nice for no reason". Another family friend who met Peter that night as well, who is also an attorney, told us to watch out for him. The next day, Peter wanted to take us all to dinner at a really expensive restaurant on the strip. We told him no, we didn't have time given the basketball game we were heading to so instead we all had dinner together at the Nugget - our treat. During dinner, I started asking him a lot of questions about his business (I often interview people with my work) - I asked him if he had a 401k program, how he pays his employees (he said he finds guys who 1) are married and 2) have kids in school because if he is going to hand over $100k to a runner, he needs to know they aren't going to get up and move to mexico with his money - AND if he has kids in school, etc. he is less likely to leave town. He said he pays his runners @ $75-100k a year plus 1-2% commission on the bets (he said he needed to do this given some legal tax laws that require the runners to be part-owners of his company which, in turn, would legally allow them to bet on his behalf).
The entire time we were in Vegas with Peter, he was constantly on his cell phone - constantly. He said he was "working" and had to constantly be in touch with "his contacts" so he could always understand the lines, when the lines change, etc... It also seemed like everyone knew him in the Nugget sports book, Binions, etc... Peter told us he was "a legend in Vegas, just like a rock star, everyone knows him, etc..." - he even told us he was banned from The Mirage for winning so much in Poker tournaments. I mean, it went on and on and on. He said he went to college at Syracuse but that he dropped out in his junior year after visiting Vegas and realizing he was a sevant of sorts and just had a natural knack for numbers.
So that's how we came to meet Peter Falcone. From that weekend on, we got closer and closer. The relationship between me, my husband, and Peter grew over the next few months (from March thu May). There are SO MANY MORE details to share - I just don't know if any of you care to hear them all - ? I don't want to take up too much real estate on this blog so let me know if you want more. Highlights include: his relationship with Billy Walters, stock market investments, a Reno business Peter wanted to partner on which would require a minimum of $100k but would yield a minimum monthly salary of $35k to start, dinner in NYC - he even had my brother quitting his stable job with benefits to "become a runner in Reno", an all-expenses paid trip to the penthouse suite at Aria - and on and on..... In fact, Peter has continued to call us - up until just one week ago - while in prison. He told us he was "in Rome doing some special work for Billy Walters" - all the while we KNEW he was IN PRISON but never let on - in fact, he still doesn't know we know. The only way we found out about his arrest was through Betsy's attorney friend who called to warn us not to give Peter any money and that he was just arrested, etc... THANK GOD because we were just 1 week away from handing over the money.
OK - that's all for now - let me know if you have any questions and/or would like more information
from Nolan Dalla's blog
Last summer in 2012, Peter Falcone was arrested in Los Angeles.
This time, the charges against him were serious. His bail was reported to be more than $400,000.
But slime is difficult to hold onto. It slips through the hands. It manages to escape confinement. Somehow Falcone either beat the rap or outlasted a minor sentence. I’m told he’s free and is now out there again. Somewhere.
Indeed, he’s out there. Wandering around. Probably hanging out inside sportsbooks. At casinos. Inside fancy restaurants. Hunting for his next victim.
Peter Falcone is out there. Watching. Waiting. Lurking. Preparing to pull off a new con.
Las Vegas is a playground full of fools. And Peter Falcone is holding the ball.
Last summer in 2012, Peter Falcone was arrested in Los Angeles.
This time, the charges against him were serious. His bail was reported to be more than $400,000.
But slime is difficult to hold onto. It slips through the hands. It manages to escape confinement. Somehow Falcone either beat the rap or outlasted a minor sentence. I’m told he’s free and is now out there again. Somewhere.
Indeed, he’s out there. Wandering around. Probably hanging out inside sportsbooks. At casinos. Inside fancy restaurants. Hunting for his next victim.
Peter Falcone is out there. Watching. Waiting. Lurking. Preparing to pull off a new con.
Las Vegas is a playground full of fools. And Peter Falcone is holding the ball.
the posts below attempt to show the extent of his malice and bravado, as he doesnt just prey on forum posters, gamblers, relatives, rich people & famous people:
If the New York lawyer is me (I am a NY Lawyer), the amount was not $300k (it was $65k), and I am not a criminal lawyer. However, at the time I met Peter and throughout the scam he ran on me, he met and socialized with two close friends of mine who at the time were federal prosecutors (Asst. US Attorneys - Southern District NY)). My story is written up in detail on Donkdown where I have the same screen name as I use here. Peter had the chutzpah to hand to these two federal prosecutors "business cards" that identified him as something like the COO for the Billy Walters Organization (or something like that). This happened at an OTB in the garment district about half a block from Peter's parole officer (he was on parole at the time he scammed me -- in fact, he was blowing parole and got sent back to prison to serve his full sentence because he was a chronic violator of his terms of parole). When I went to meet his parole officer after everything was revealed...it was eerie how close the OTB where it started was to the NY Dept of Corrections offices. That OTB must have been a hot place for guys going just after meeting with their parole officers.
Lurker 1998
Originally Posted by nonameplease
Hi Lurker. I'm pretty sure I was referencing a different NYC attorney but in any case, I'm really sorry what happened to you. How did Peter scam you, if you don't mind sharing - and was he able to get any cash from your two close friends? Thank God we did not give Peter our friends' contact information.
Hello No Name Please,
If you go to www.donkdown.com and search for the very long thread there about Peter Falcone, you will find me enter that thread around pages 98 to 100. Spread out through those pages, I tell my story. Here is what I believe to be a link to the longest entry, but it might not work --
http://www.donkdown.com/forum/warnin...8856-1980.html
Peter did not succeed in getting any cash from any of my friends. However, I did introduce him to over 10 close friends of mine and they all benefited from his largesse in varying degrees (he was obviously "investing"....and all the cards came crashing down before he could make his "harvest" fuller than just me). A big part of his scam was getting close to people close to me. One close friend of mine (a single professional woman who would probably accurately be described as being starved for affection at the time) ended up speaking with Peter by telephone several times a day every day for several months. He clearly honed in on her. However, the day he stiffed me for the $65k, he never called her again. After the scam went down, I had to call a lot of friends and caution them that Peter is a thief -- many required hours of persuasion to believe it.
Lurker 1998
If the New York lawyer is me (I am a NY Lawyer), the amount was not $300k (it was $65k), and I am not a criminal lawyer. However, at the time I met Peter and throughout the scam he ran on me, he met and socialized with two close friends of mine who at the time were federal prosecutors (Asst. US Attorneys - Southern District NY)). My story is written up in detail on Donkdown where I have the same screen name as I use here. Peter had the chutzpah to hand to these two federal prosecutors "business cards" that identified him as something like the COO for the Billy Walters Organization (or something like that). This happened at an OTB in the garment district about half a block from Peter's parole officer (he was on parole at the time he scammed me -- in fact, he was blowing parole and got sent back to prison to serve his full sentence because he was a chronic violator of his terms of parole). When I went to meet his parole officer after everything was revealed...it was eerie how close the OTB where it started was to the NY Dept of Corrections offices. That OTB must have been a hot place for guys going just after meeting with their parole officers.
Lurker 1998
Hi Lurker. I'm pretty sure I was referencing a different NYC attorney but in any case, I'm really sorry what happened to you. How did Peter scam you, if you don't mind sharing - and was he able to get any cash from your two close friends? Thank God we did not give Peter our friends' contact information.
Hello No Name Please,
If you go to www.donkdown.com and search for the very long thread there about Peter Falcone, you will find me enter that thread around pages 98 to 100. Spread out through those pages, I tell my story. Here is what I believe to be a link to the longest entry, but it might not work --
http://www.donkdown.com/forum/warnin...8856-1980.html
Peter did not succeed in getting any cash from any of my friends. However, I did introduce him to over 10 close friends of mine and they all benefited from his largesse in varying degrees (he was obviously "investing"....and all the cards came crashing down before he could make his "harvest" fuller than just me). A big part of his scam was getting close to people close to me. One close friend of mine (a single professional woman who would probably accurately be described as being starved for affection at the time) ended up speaking with Peter by telephone several times a day every day for several months. He clearly honed in on her. However, the day he stiffed me for the $65k, he never called her again. After the scam went down, I had to call a lot of friends and caution them that Peter is a thief -- many required hours of persuasion to believe it.
Lurker 1998
another post from the lady above, the Betsey they refer to is his girlfriend, the Queen of internet Porn, who continued to support him for 5+ years after she knew what he was doing:
Originally Posted by BCR
Keep going whenever you have the time. Very interesting, and I'm glad you and your husband dodged that particular bullet. How much money would you estimate he spent trying to impress you and get his hands on yours? What is it that makes him successful in your opinion? He must be totally disarming and convincing for you to disregard your father and an attorney's opinion of him.
To answer your questions, I would estimate Peter spent somewhere around $800 cash for airfare, and $3600 for penthouse suite at Aria for a trip for my husband to Vegas in April = $4400. He also paid for a stretch limo and got sold-out show tickets for friends. He also gave us 2 tickets to a show in Atlantic City. Then we met him for dinner at a steakhouse in NYC - dinner for the three of us was probably @ $600 plus the $100 extra he tipped the waiter. So all in, @ $5000.
What makes Peter successful in my opinion? His dedication to his marks. He gives 100% all the time. He's funny and charasmatic and acts like he really enjoys life... like he'd do anything for you and wants nothing in return. He's very non-demonstrative. He doesn't drink or smoke or do drugs so it makes you feel like he has a really good head on his shoulders and you can trust him. DO NOT!
For the record, I was never completely convinced about Peter. I would say things to him like "Oh Peter, I googled you today.... You are a ghost. You don't exist" but he would rarely comment.
While in Vegas, Peter only showed up for 1 of the 3 nights my husband was there TO MEET HIM and SEE HIS "IN ACTION" first hand. I knew something was really wrong with that... my husband called and said "He is a fake - this is ridiculous". BUT on the last night, Peter finally showed up and took my husband to the VIP room at Ceasar's. He said everyone knew Peter by name, and acted as if they had known each other for years. Peter introduced by husband to a runner (now sure who it was now) and my husband saw Peter give the guy $50k in a fedex envelope to place on bets. Then Peter introduced my husband to Richie Baccellieri who is the Ceasar's official book maker and is a real dude who stars in the TLC tv series called "Linemakers" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LEluD98YJlQ . He acted like he's known Peter for years - in fact, I believe he even said he's known Peter forever and that he's a great guy. WHAT?!??!?!? Seriously dude!??!?! Either he's in on the scam too OR he's about to be Peter's next mark. They were all actually hanging out together. That's when my husband called to tell me "Peter was the real deal" - and I'm sure that was Peter's mission. We found out from Betsey last week that what Peter typically does with a mark is show up at a casino in advance, and then grease all the wait staff, etc. with $200 each. He tells them to "make him a star, make me shine" and then they act like he's the greatest thing since sliced bread once they see him with his mark. When asked WHY they would do this, one staff member said they don't make any money and even though they know Peter is a scumbag, they take his money and act all nice because it's $200 they didn't even before. UGH
Keep going whenever you have the time. Very interesting, and I'm glad you and your husband dodged that particular bullet. How much money would you estimate he spent trying to impress you and get his hands on yours? What is it that makes him successful in your opinion? He must be totally disarming and convincing for you to disregard your father and an attorney's opinion of him.
To answer your questions, I would estimate Peter spent somewhere around $800 cash for airfare, and $3600 for penthouse suite at Aria for a trip for my husband to Vegas in April = $4400. He also paid for a stretch limo and got sold-out show tickets for friends. He also gave us 2 tickets to a show in Atlantic City. Then we met him for dinner at a steakhouse in NYC - dinner for the three of us was probably @ $600 plus the $100 extra he tipped the waiter. So all in, @ $5000.
What makes Peter successful in my opinion? His dedication to his marks. He gives 100% all the time. He's funny and charasmatic and acts like he really enjoys life... like he'd do anything for you and wants nothing in return. He's very non-demonstrative. He doesn't drink or smoke or do drugs so it makes you feel like he has a really good head on his shoulders and you can trust him. DO NOT!
For the record, I was never completely convinced about Peter. I would say things to him like "Oh Peter, I googled you today.... You are a ghost. You don't exist" but he would rarely comment.
While in Vegas, Peter only showed up for 1 of the 3 nights my husband was there TO MEET HIM and SEE HIS "IN ACTION" first hand. I knew something was really wrong with that... my husband called and said "He is a fake - this is ridiculous". BUT on the last night, Peter finally showed up and took my husband to the VIP room at Ceasar's. He said everyone knew Peter by name, and acted as if they had known each other for years. Peter introduced by husband to a runner (now sure who it was now) and my husband saw Peter give the guy $50k in a fedex envelope to place on bets. Then Peter introduced my husband to Richie Baccellieri who is the Ceasar's official book maker and is a real dude who stars in the TLC tv series called "Linemakers" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LEluD98YJlQ . He acted like he's known Peter for years - in fact, I believe he even said he's known Peter forever and that he's a great guy. WHAT?!??!?!? Seriously dude!??!?! Either he's in on the scam too OR he's about to be Peter's next mark. They were all actually hanging out together. That's when my husband called to tell me "Peter was the real deal" - and I'm sure that was Peter's mission. We found out from Betsey last week that what Peter typically does with a mark is show up at a casino in advance, and then grease all the wait staff, etc. with $200 each. He tells them to "make him a star, make me shine" and then they act like he's the greatest thing since sliced bread once they see him with his mark. When asked WHY they would do this, one staff member said they don't make any money and even though they know Peter is a scumbag, they take his money and act all nice because it's $200 they didn't even before. UGH
