Woman pleads guilty in $1.2 billion plot targeting Wes Edens, co-owner of the Milwaukee Bucks and Aston Villa, and co-founder of Fortress Investment
Source: Fortune ·
Court documents allege she hid a phone in sanitary pads, and describe a LinkedIn message and two other men she allegedly defrauded.
From the source
A woman who prosecutors say used LinkedIn to find wealthy men pleaded guilty Tuesday in Manhattan federal court to fraud tied to a plot to extort more than $1.2 billion from Fortress Investment Group co-founder Wes Edens. “I deeply regret engaging in this conduct, and I knew that my conduct was wrong, and I accept responsibility for it,” Changli “Sophia” Luo told U.S. District Judge Margaret Garnett, according to a court transcript viewed by Bloomberg. She faces up to 20 years in prison at sentencing in February. A trial had originally been set to start on Nov. 16 prior to the guilty plea. Court documents reviewed by Fortune call the target “Victim-1” and don’t name him. Bloomberg, citing a person with direct knowledge, reported that he is Edens, and that an Edens spokesperson declined to comment. The Wall Street Journal and other news outlets have also identified the victim as Edens, who co-owns the NBA’s Milwaukee Bucks and the Aston Villa soccer team in England. The account below…