Career conman scams over €1,900 from two Irish tourists in New York

According to the publication, Elliot Brightman (61), conned two 27-year-olds out of their cash while playing a shell game on Broadway and West 49th Street.

One of the tourists put down $1000 for the game, which involved three bottle caps and a small ball on a table, police sources said.

The aim of the game is to find the ball which is hidden underneath the bottle cap as it is moved around a table.

When the tourist lost the round, he urged them to play another $1,000 in a bid to win back their money. When they did so, it is reported that Brightman grabbed the cash and ran.

When police caught up with him a short time later, he was charged with grand larceny, fraudulent accosting, possession of a gambling device, and promoting gambling.

However, the Irish tourists did not get their money back as it is believed that the conman handed the money over to another party.

Appearing in court on Friday, November 25th, Assistant District Attorney Chelsea McGee told the court that a witness identified Brightman after he told police they had the wrong guy.

“It is another guy. I don’t have shit. I only have 40 dollars in my wallet,” Brightman allegedly told police.

His long criminal history, which dates back to 1982, includes six felony convictions, one violent felony conviction, 54 misdemeanours and ten failures to appear.

He was given supervised release and is due before the courts again in January.