Two Monument women defrauded out of nearly $4 million, suspects arrested in Florida

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KKTV) – A couple is behind bars is Lee County, Florida this week after officials say they defrauded two women in Monument out of millions of dollars. Philip and Nicole Scolaro are now facing five felony charges.

One of the victims was blind and elderly at the time of the alleged scene. She’s now dead and was not able to find justice while alive.

“It happens way too often. I think a lot of it is again they don’t know that it is a scam,” said Annie Hewitt, the Director of Health and Wellness at Silver Key Senior Services.

The Scolaros told their victims they were the owners of a working gold mine in Africa. Over the course of three years, the pair stole more than $4 million from two women, according to a 17 page grand jury indictment from the State of Colorado.

The Scolaros were arrested in Lee County, Florida at the end of October.

The pair reportedly asked for investors to help extract, secure, and transport gold from their so-called mine, with a promise of a return of their investment. That money in-turn was used for their own personal expenses, buying properties and luxury cars.

According to the indictment, one of the victims, Martha Larson, was an at-risk person during the scheme. She transferred over three properties to the Scolaros totaling more than $2.1 million. The second victim, Leslie Cohen, gave them more than $800,000.

“It’s really sad when that happens because to be able to recover from that, it’s almost impossible,” said Hewitt.

The indictment also details this would not be Philip’s first offense. The court papers detail that he has a lengthy criminal record dating back to 1987 in New Jersey.

Philip is also facing criminal charges in Florida, including grand theft and fraud of less than $20,000.

No word yet on when the couple will be extradited back to Colorado.

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