The extravagant lifestyle of one of Sydney’s most successful and cunning con artists has been made public as the fraudster is put in jail.
Sunny Sunny led a fantasy life for six months, spending money on “pornstar adventures,” driving a luxurious Range Rover, and persuading people to give him gold bars worth $10,000.
But when he didn’t pay the $60 for a personal massage gun he discovered on Facebook Marketplace, the vendor called the police, and his extravagant lifestyle came to an end.
The 32-year-old, who has been dubbed “the most prolific and brilliant conman” in western Sydney, utilized a variety of strategies for more than two years to deceive unsuspecting individuals.
The student appeared in court on Tuesday for his offences and was charged with 15, according to the Daily Telegraph, including forging documents and auto theft.
Detectives think Sunny started flashing questionable checks in September 2020 to satisfy his pricey taste.
The checks were written by the Indian-born con artist using a variety of aliases and were paid from checkbooks connected to two of his failed or abandoned enterprises.
Sometimes Sunny would transfer the funds, then reverse it, leaving his victims unable to contact him because his phone numbers and addresses had been altered.
Even expensive Range Rover Evoque auto dealers fell for his trick.
According to court filings, a con artist using a false identity changed the decimal point on a fraudulent check for $46,888 to a comma.
That meant he just had to pay $46.88 for the car.
After realizing the check was a forgery, Pickles Auction House reported the automobile as stolen, but not before Sunny’s friend had hauled it to Warwick Farms.
When the officers left the jail, Sunny simply unlocked the roller door and drove away after picking him up.
Officers had no idea Sunny was still in the car, either sleeping or hiding, until they found it one month later outside a brothel.
The fraudster then asserted that he was abducted in a Range Rover as a result of a dispute with a sex prostitute.
Police checked over the car and gave it back to him without realizing Sunny had changed the distinctive VIN serial number to hide his tracks.
The fraudster focused on the $10,000 worth of gold bars after his spectacular escape from prison.
On the Central Coast, he located a vendor and put checks into an ATM.
The vendor didn’t realize the checks were worthless and called the police until Sunny had returned home armed with his new find.
According to court filings, the 32-year-old had a penchant for “pornstar experiences,” including employing two sex workers at once in one occasion.
escorting services and brothels Sunny, who frequented the establishment, quickly started to detect a rat because one of the $1,900 he spent on her services was never paid.
Six months later, when he went back to the Enmore site, he was recognized, and police were contacted.
They later gave him permission to depart.
Sunny is accused by the police of defrauding escorts of approximately $10,000 while frequently hiding his identity behind a false name and using forged checks.
The 32-year-old was twice detained by police in December 2020 as they worked to unravel the mystery of the fraudulent checks.
Detective Senior Constable Lance Colyer cautioned the courts in one fact file that “(Sunny) is a prolific fraudster and extraordinarily accomplished conman.”
“He has a long history of changing documents…” He has been successful in enlisting outside help to help him commit additional crimes, cover up his wrongdoings, and avoid prosecution.
Sunny was permitted to depart each time, and the officers were never aware of how close they had come to catching Australia’s own “Catch Me If You Can” scam artist.
When the 32-year-old ceased following his commitments after being granted bail in April 2021, a warrant was issued for his arrest.
Sunny’s luxurious lifestyle, however, came to an abrupt end in July 2021 when he was unable to pay $60 for a personal massage gun he had discovered on Facebook Marketplace.
He went to pick up the device from their house after sending the seller confirmation of a bank transfer, and the watchful seller took a picture of him driving away in his Mercedes.
Police were contacted when the money did not materialize.
After finding the car at a Merrylands service station, the police discovered a checkbook for one of Sunny’s failed enterprises inside.
According to court documents, the chequebook was used to fund half of his scams, and a handwriting expert assisted detectives in searching through additional forged documents.
During his Tuesday sentencing, Magistrate Greg Grogan called him a “shyster” who “has just ripped people off.”
Sunny will be available for parole in January 2023 after receiving a term of over two years in prison.
He was informed that his Australian visa would be cancelled, and Mr. Grogan warned him that upon his release from prison, he would probably be deported to India.