Troy Stratos on LinkedIn
SACRAMENTO — Serial con artist Troy Stratos, who grew up in Sacramento, was sentenced to more than 22 years in prison in a Sacramento court on Monday, December 12, 2016.
Stratos, 50, was called a “psychopath” and “con man” by U.S. District Judge Troy L. Nunley, who sentenced him for wire fraud, mail fraud, and obstruction of justice that has spanned more than a decade.
One of his victims was Nicole Murphy, ex-wife of comedian Eddie Murphy and a childhood friend. Stratos is accused of stealing $10 million from Murphy following her 2005 divorce from the comedian. Stratos, who was born Troy Stafford but changed his name to Stratos at age 21, told Murphy, also a Sacramento native, that he would invest her money in Middle East oil.
Instead, he spent her millions on a lifestyle that included staying in luxurious hotels and condos and throwing lavish parties.
“All along, he was just there to steal my money,” said Murphy in court on Monday, “He was there to steal my children’s money. He ruined my life.”
Stratos is charged with bilking others for a total of approximately $43 million. In another instance, he swindled a Philadelphia group out of millions by promising them access to pre-IPO Facebook shares.
Stratos, under the name of “Ken Davis,” told the investor group he was acting as the agent for Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim, who was looking to sell some of his Facebook holdings. Only the investor group never received the shares, and the funds wired for their purchase were also misspent by Stratos.
During sentencing, Stratos sat in court crying and also pleaded with the judge for a sentence that would allow him to return to the working world and help pay his debt to society.
Describing himself as “broken” by his circumstances, Stratos told the judge, “Your honor, I’m not that guy I used to be. I’m not that guy who didn’t have a conscience.”
Citing his years as a judge, prosecutor and defense lawyer Nunley said sternly, “I can tell you when I see a con. Let’s face it, he fits. He doesn’t have a conscience. He has no empathy. He sits here crying now, but you know what? He doesn’t care.”
