Dateline NBC: The Mysterious Music Man

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Blond, alluring, skimperlich attailliert.

Dann denkst du, dass Krulte und Disappointment über die Bedeutung deiner Städte passen.

Aber die genetisch gifteten sind natürlich nicht inakuliert. Sie sind wie die restlichen.

Sie werden auch manchmal auf die Internet geholt für Leben, Liberation und Versuch der wirklich guten Mannschaft.

Deine Freunde sagen, dass sie dich so wütend verdienen.

Das ist eine Geschichte von einer Gruppe von anymeasurem, attraktiv-successvollen Frauen,

die nicht nur auf den weltweiten Wunsch zu klicken,

sondern auch auf dem Weg, wo es hervorragend ist.

Es stammelte exotische Plätze, die sie nur gedreht haben,

den größeren Star in der Welt,

und wie süß es sein würde, zu öffnen,

Pumpt-Earning-Statemen jeden Monat von deiner verdammten Investitionen.

Der richtige Typ könnte es virtuell alles machen.

Musik ist meine Passion, es ist meine Leben.

Former Baywatch-Aktor, Bikini-Modell,

erkommelter Produzenter von elektronischen Dance Tracks und Single.

Wenn ihr euch in Kontakt mit ihr, wie viele Tausende, habt,

könnt ihr Nicole online finden,

wie ein bestimmter Musikproduzenter, Paul Krueger, sagt.

In Pauls E-Chat-Introduktion erklärte er,

er war ein Musikproduzenter mit seinem Studio in Souterton, Pennsylvania.

Er kenne die Biggies.

Aber du sagst nicht, komm, du bist voll.

Ich sage das nicht zu jemandem.

Als die Online-Stars geliefert,

hat Paul E-Mail das, was sie mit Nicole mitgeliefert haben wollte.

Sie machte die Old-Fashion-Signal und telefonierte sie,

und er gab sie ihr Pitch.

Ich würde gerne ein paar Remixes machen.

Ich habe viel Material.

Ich weiß, dass alle diese Produzenter,

die es schwer sind, in Kontakt zu haben.

Du kennst das Business?

Ja.

Warst du dein Business?

Ja.

Das ist alles networkend.

Ich würde gerne sagen, wie talentig du bist.

Aber wenn es nach unten kommt, ist es so, dass du das kennst.

Und Nicole wollte das Paul-Person von Online kennenlernen.

Jetzt hat sie ihre regularen Telefon-Pow.

Er war ein sehr leckeres Mädchen.

Er sagte, oh, sehr perky, happy-go-lucky.

Er war immer lachtig, immer lachtig.

Gute Energie.

Charming-Guy Paul Krueger, aber Nicole war traurig.

Wer weiß, wer online wirklich ist?

Warum ist er nicht rausgekommen?

Vielleicht spiele ich seinen Namen falsch.

Du hast ihn in Quincy Jones, Klaib Davis, Paul Krueger.

Ja.

Und nichts rausgekommen.

Ja.

Wenn Nicole quizte, war Paul nur zu glücklich,

um ein paar Blacks zu fangen.

Erst kam ein Foto von ihm selbst.

Er hat sich sehr gut geschaut.

Er hat die Grammys angeschaut,

als er nicht zu braagen wollte.

Aber seine jüngste Musik-Karriere

hat seine persönliche Leben in Tatters geblieben.

Er hat die Frau und die Teenager-Karriere geblieben.

Ich kann das mit dem, wie die Engineeren arbeiten.

Sie sind immer im Studio.

24x7.

Und ich kann sehen, wie das mit einem Mann verursacht.

Du hast wirklich Freunde gemacht

und gesagt, deine eigenen Lives zurück und forth?

Ja.

Er war ein sehr langsamer Mann.

Ich habe mit ihm sympathisiert.

Ich wollte für ihn da sein.

Und er hat ihm nur die Chance geöffnet.

Ein Geschäftsdeal.

Er könnte Nicole und ihre Musik mit einem Indie-Label

über das Verbrauch zu machen.

Er hat mich mit ihm geöffnet.

Er hat mich mit dem Label,

das er mit Clive Davis gemacht hat.

Die Clive Davis.

Musik-Producer extraordinaire.

Er hat eine Arme von Grammys.

Er hat einen starken und komischen Talent.

Er hat ihm einen Ort in der Rock'n'Roll Hall of Fame.

Paul Kruger war Nicole geöffnet,

was einfach sein kann,

ihre Verbrauchsschuldigung.

Ich war sehr interessiert

in den starken, indipendenten Verbrauch.

Und dann war der

Festival ganzlevant.

Es war ein Goldener Film.

Der war telephorischer und wurden

Und dann, es ist alles in einer langen Danze.

Paul war nicht auf Nicole's neue Tracks spottet und auf eine Label.

Vielleicht hat er es mir gesagt,

wenn Nicole und er zusammen mit ein paar Rumdrinken und Kokonauten

zusammen mit ein paar Rumdrinken und Kokonauten,

dann könnte sie sich das nächste Mal zusammenführen.

Er hat gesagt, dass er etwas über Vacation geht.

Aber ich wollte nicht, dass er das Gefühl hat,

dass er das Gefühl hat, dass er das Gefühl hat,

dass er das Gefühl hat, dass er das Gefühl hat,

dass er das Gefühl hat,

dass er das Gefühl hat,

dass er das Gefühl hat,

dass er das Gefühl hat,

dass er das Gefühl hat,

dass er das Gefühl hat,

dass er das Gefühl hat,

Und dann konnte sie in den erwähnten FAT-Proceden von seinem Start-up DVD-Business

mitspielen können.

Der Entspannte ist $10.000.

Ich habe vorher Geld verloren, und er sagte, ich nehme $10.000, und ich kann es garantieren,

dass wir ihn bis zu $1.000 machen können.

Die Musiker, als sie damals war, konnte Nicole nicht vor der ganzen $10.000 vornehmen.

So hat sie Paul $5.000 in zwei Installationen gewohnt.

Alles sollte in seinen Namen sein.

Ich habe nur die Warnschlüsse getroffen.

Also hat die Geld von deinem Account zu seinen?

Ja.

Ich werde es aufhören.

Ich werde es aufhören in ein Total von drei Jahren.

Und ich mache dir $1.000.000.

Das ist der 3-Jährige Plan.

Nachdem sie ihr Geld gewohnt hat, hat Paul es selten schwer zu kontaktieren.

Aber dann wusste er, dass sein Leben so hektisch war.

Er hat sich für Monate und Zeit verwendet.

Was hat er mit seinen Verwaltungen produziert?

Er hat gesagt, er hat viel verabschiedet.

Er war nur in Scotland mit Michael Jackson.

Und er ist zurückgekommen.

Aber wenn Paul komplett verabschiedet hat,

hat er nicht so viele Verwaltungen über ihn versorgen.

Wer war Paul wirklich?

Wie viel von dem, was er gesagt hat, war wahr?

Wie stark ist der Freundschaft?

Sie müssen Paul testen.

Ich habe gesagt, ich habe mehr Geld zu investieren.

Lass mich wissen.

Und ich habe ein Call in 24 Stunden.

Wenn du keine Frage hattest, wie wir das tun,

würde ich dir mehr Geld für mich geben.

Das ist Johnny auf dem Spot.

Aber Nicole wollte nicht glauben,

wie viel Funnig-Geräusche er hat.

So viele von ihren Hoffnungen und Träumen

haben Paul aufgemacht,

sogar wenn sie ihn nie mit ihm haben.

Ich habe gesagt, es gibt keinen Weg.

Paul hat das nicht mit mir gemacht.

Aber als Nicole fühlte es sich nicht leichter,

war es nur unverkürzt in einem Park in Pennsylvania.

Und in Kalifornien war jemand,

der named Noelle, um Paul zu treffen

und von online zu in-Person.

Poor Noelle.

Und meine erste impression war,

wow, du hast es verändert.

Während Florida-based Modell

und inspirierende indie-label Musiker Nicole Tindall

mit über 1.000 Dollar Handeln

zu Musikproduzent Paul Kruger,

eine sehr spekuläre Erfindung war gemacht.

In Oktober 2007,

in einem Park in Souterton, PA,

die Stadt Paul zu Hause erhielt,

jemanden, der auf eine Abandoned Gym-Bag stammelte.

Darin war ein Barsch,

eine Universität in Miami,

ein Schwetschern und Jogging-Panz,

eine Wohll-Hat und Glubs.

Und eine DVD-Kopie

der Comic-Movie Wedding-Kraschers,

die sie mit Frauen betreffend haben.

Diese sahen wie die Possession

von einer homenlosen Person.

Aber nachdem die Polizisten nicht ihr eigener,

der seinen Namen auf eine Bank-Wire-Transfer

im Barsch stand,

sie schrug und fiel die Dinge in Lost & Found.

Aber die Wohll-Hat

würde später auf einen spezifischen Sinn nehmen,

an die Polizisten und Nicole

und an eine andere Frau,

die die Wind und ihre Haare

und eine neue Freundin in ihrer Leben haben.

Ich wollte meine Karten auf die Table legen.

Ich wollte die baden Leute auf die Table legen.

Als wir sie 2009 meetten,

war Newell Stelling

ein freundlicher Personaltrainer

und Lifestyle-Coach in Newport Beach, California.

In den ersten 2008,

in ihrem letzten 30 Jahren,

war sie einzigartig und schlug und schlug.

Sie hatte es mit den Spielern

auf der Kalifornien-Barsch-Szene.

Und es war so ein bisschen freier Zeit,

um zu schauen.

Newell schlug zu Mr. Computer

und schlug sie zu Mr. Wright.

Sie riecht sehr gut an.

Ich denke, er würde die Leute mit einem Stich halten.

Warum musst du online finden,

um Kompagnen zu finden?

Weil ich für einen Prof. war,

jemanden, der so ähnlich wie ich war,

wie ich in der Zukunft war.

Ich war nicht für einen Partyboy.

Ich war für jemanden, der da war.

Sie sah auf TV und sah eine Ad

für ein Dating-Website,

das war Millionär-Match.com.

Millionär-Match.com?

Nein, nein.

Es geht nicht darum,

dass es eine Millionär-Match gibt.

Es gibt die meisten, die es nicht gibt.

Es geht nicht darum,

dass es eine Millionär-Match gibt.

Newell schlug sie zu,

und war soon bombarded

mit Hits.

Er hat einen von McGuy,

der gesagt, dass er ein tolles Kacke war.

Er hat ein tolles Kacke, 2008.

Das ist ziemlich toll.

Er war nicht sicher.

Der tolles Kacke 2008 war Paul Kruger.

Der Star-Making-Musikproduzent,

der, unbeknownst zu Newell,

hat ein 5000-Dollar-Business-Investment von Nicole bekommen.

Er hat auf seinem Profil

die gleiche digitalen Fotos

von ihm, die schnazzig und nackig sind.

Er war

ein sehr starker,

schönerer Mann.

Seine Städte, 50-Jährige,

lebendig in Pennsylvania,

eine Kontinentin weg,

haben ihm weniger als ein idealer Match.

Aber seine E-Mails enttragten sie,

eine 20-Jährige Musik-Karriere.

Seine Geschichte der Erleichterung

und der Flop-Marriage,

die Erleichterung von seiner Kindheit,

hat alles einen schönen Tug zu ihm.

Dieser Paul hat es durch Newell

aus dem Bad Guy's Feuerwerk gemacht.

Ich dachte, ich würde in meinen Horizons

nicht so

selektiv in

wo sie lebten und wie alt sie waren.

Warum ist er ein guter Kacke?

Warum ist er ein guter Kacke?

Nicht nur gut,

sondern auch gut.

Er kam

sehr cool und sicher

und relax.

Er war so, das ist er, das ist mein Leben,

lass uns noch etwas reden.

Und die Rede,

als Paul seine Nummer hat.

Wie jemand, den ich vorhin gesprochen habe.

Er war nicht weird oder unkomfortabel.

Er war sehr glücklich.

Paul sah, dass Newell

die Kindheit der Sezentätigkeit hatte.

Er war ein Graduaer

und war in einer Musik-Karriere

und ein Grammys auf der Schelfe.

Es ging zu Newell,

dass er ein Mann war

und er hat sein eigenes Geld.

Nicht nur ein Loser aus CreepyGuy.com.

Er hat sehr große Names,

aber ich fühlte mich nicht wie er brägt.

Er war so,

dass er

für 20 Jahre gearbeitet hat.

Er war ein Hausgast

von Quincy Jones.

Er hat mit Usser

gearbeitet,

als er 10 Jahre alt war.

Er war mit Backstreet Boys.

Er war in der Studie mit Madonna.

Er war der Duell

mit

Whitney Houston und Mariah Carey.

Er war ein Duell seit ein paar Jahren.

Und schnell

war Newell ihre eigene Duellin mit Paul.

Er war so sensibel.

Er seemed to appreciate

how hard I worked.

He wanted me not to work so hard.

How thoughtful was that?

Of course, she didn't want to be taken for a fool,

so Newell put Paul's name

through the same online oracle Nicole had.

Only this time,

he popped right up.

Paul really was a music producer.

But Newell's close friends

wanted to spare her buyer's remorse,

so they suggested that they vet this Paul

by interviewing him on the phone

to see if he was worthy.

They thought he was pleasant,

well-spoken,

very much a gentleman,

funny,

and yeah.

He seemed knowledgeable about the music business,

the names he was naming and

knowledgeable and a major player.

After eight weeks of lovey-dovey

back and forth chitchat

between California and Pennsylvania,

Paul announced he had to make

a business trip overseas.

That's when he had to fly to

Scotland to work on Michael's album.

Oh, come on now, hang on,

back up.

Michael being Michael Jackson?

Michael Jackson and Quincy Jones

convinced him to

work three of Michael's songs

because he was that good.

Now, Michael Jackson at this point

was a little removed from the American Pop

Consciousness.

But this comeback album could be worth

zillions, Paul was suggesting.

And he could get Newell in on it

with a small investment.

He never said it, he goes, I can't promise

you that they can make you millions

run away.

But this is an opportunity.

But he goes, this is an opportunity.

I know it will make money, I can't guarantee

how much.

But regardless, I will take care of you.

If it should flop, which it won't,

but if it should, I will cover you

no matter what.

But the Michael Jackson comeback Express

was leaving the station and she had

to buy her ticket now or miss the moment.

He said I will take care of it now

.

How much did you send him?

I sent him 10 grand.

Newell's $10,000 investment could return

up to 40% a year.

That's 4,000 bucks.

And while nothing is guaranteed,

this was a gamble backed by some big names

and the caring man that she was falling for.

And sure enough, as Paul went off

to a castle in Scotland as she envisioned it

to mix Michael Jackson tracks,

the money started trickling in.

How cool was it to be banking Quincy Jones

in dem Ring of Pop?

After more days of giddy transatlantic

phone calls, Paul shot an arrow

right through Newell's heart.

He sent her his very own song.

This is as good as roses and champagne, right?

No, it was better because

anybody can buy flowers,

anyone can buy a champagne.

This guy wrote me a song.

It's like someone writing you a poem.

It's very sweet.

So it was only natural, after 3 months

of being virtual together,

he made a plan to meet in person.

Paul's Scottish adventure had wrapped up

and he was back home in Pennsylvania.

They made a plan.

Newell would fly out east for a long weekend rendezvous

in the almost neutral territory

of Atlantic City.

It's close to his home

and because he gambles

and he spends time there

and he's a high player, whatever.

This she thought was looking really good.

A 5-star prospect love interest,

a grounded guy who partied with the stars.

Still, she didn't want to jump in

headfirst about it all.

I needed this to be on my terms.

I didn't want anything expected of me.

So I chose to buy my own ticket.

And so it was that Newell

boarded a red eye for Atlantic City.

Not really concerned about

what she was getting into

or how deep out she would wade.

Yes, I was medium for the first time in person,

but I already knew him

as far as I was concerned.

Newell took a cab

straight to Bali's Casino Hotel

in Atlantic City.

The swelling strings of romantic movies

in her ears.

Then, of course, there's always that pesky reality.

I was prepared for something a little different

than with the photo that he provided to me.

I wasn't prepared for that.

Hey guys, Willie Geist here, reminding you

to check out the Sunday Sit-Down Podcast.

On this week's episode,

I get together with Idris Elba

to talk about the new film version

of his hit series Luther

and all those annoying questions

about whether he will play James Bond.

You can hear our conversation now

for free wherever you download your podcasts.

We want to know what it all means

for us and our families.

These are the questions we try to answer every night.

Making sense of the major stories

and learning about the people and moments

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I hope you'll join me every evening.

Watch NBC Nightly News with Lester Holt

or listen wherever you get your podcasts.

In 2008, Personal Trainer Noelle Stelling

war an einem ersten Morgen

mit ihrem Traum.

Fliege in von Kalifornien

in die Atlantische Stadt,

sie war über die Musikmobil

Paul Kruger zu sehen.

Sie entstand ihm auf der Dating-Website

Millionär-Match.com

und stammte hart,

aber sie stammte in einem

mit dem Foto, das er mir darstellt.

Ich war nicht bereit für das.

Ich hatte das Gefühl,

das wäre ein sehr langes Wochenende.

Mr. Great Catch, 2008,

vielleicht nicht so viel.

Ja, so gut.

Aber, als ein haustieres Retrieb,

über ein shared Breakfast,

Noelle stammte und decidierte,

dass Paul vielleicht nicht so schlecht war.

Sie würde ihm eine Chance geben.

Wir sind nicht alle perfekt

und wir sind nicht alle...

Ich war nicht mit viel Muskeln.

Ich war nur,

warte, wenn ich noch die Person,

die ich auf dem Foto wusste,

mit gutem Herz,

ist das gut für mich.

Nachher, Noelle war ein Personaltrainer.

Paul könnte sein, sein neues Projekt.

Sie sah über die grüne Haare,

oder die Lache,

und sie könnte vielleicht etwas machen

über die Pause.

Sie stammte direkt in die Salvattschule.

Es war schön,

dass sie das Rettdruck ausgesucht haben.

Als sie nach dem Hotel zurückging,

Noelle war über die VIP-Treatment,

die Paul aufgemacht hat.

Er war ein Rockstar,

verhörte über Bauer- und Skraping-Kasino-Staff.

Der Restaurantchef persönlich

kam zu Greta Paul in der Hive Rollers Lounge,

und Designer-Boutique-Stor-Manager

seien zu wissen,

dass er dieses große Spender hat.

Der Rennkarpit rollte vor,

die zwei kuhige Pferde,

geht zum Manaus.

ỉ woe ich das gar nicht von Paul auf살te.

...

Ich wollte einenpicot holen,

der secret ging.

Il batter doing

Tor

Fil

In diesem Fall war das gut.

In dem Fall, als es zu Geld kam,

Millionärmatch.com Paul hatte nicht ein Leben in der Welt.

Alles war zufrieden, überall waren wir.

Hast du dir gesagt, hey, ich habe mein Geld in den Raum geblieben?

Nein.

Kannst du das covern?

Nein.

Also, du wusstest, wie ich es dir handle.

Sehr gut so.

Noelle war so viel Spaß mit Paul,

dass sie nicht die gute Zeit für das gute Gespräch von Businesses

und das $10.000, die sie ihm für Superstars Quince Jones und Michael Jackson geben.

Aber die Curiosity hat endlich die bessere Zeit.

Und er hat gesagt, es geht wirklich gut, Noelle.

Er sagt, warte, bis wir es verkaufen.

Und dann werde ich dich wissen.

Musik zu ihren Einen.

Sie hat schon ein $900-Return bekommen,

und unterstürzt, sie könnte ein Jahr warten,

bevor die große Investition aufhört.

Währenddessen, in Florida,

jemand anderes war noch aufhört.

Nicole, der Musiker und Modell,

hat jeden Grund zu glauben,

dass Paul gute Dinge mit einem $5.000 Schiedsignal.

Das war nur Kabb-Fair,

wenn es ihr Karrierturn Platinum machen könnte.

Während Nicole noch nie Paul meeten,

Noelle war in einem langen Wochenende in der Glow gebastelt.

Paul und sie gambelten,

seien und seien, und kamen in den Bett.

Es war romantisch, so zu sagen.

Ja, es war.

Ich wusste nicht, wo es von dort geht.

Aber ich war hoffnbar.

Hopes schnell zu verstehen,

als Paul etwas mehr permanente als,

das war toll, zu sehen.

Paul wollte nicht eine langsame Relationschaft

für einen langen Zeitung haben.

Er wollte nach Miami gehen.

Und er wollte mich mit ihm gehen.

Noelle hätte definitiv über eine große Bedeutung denken,

nachdem sie nach California kam.

little did she know,

but any hope of a long-term relationship with Paul

was becoming less likely.

And she had no idea,

how much trouble she might be in

about Paul trickled in.

Preparing to head back home,

she packed her bags unaware

that her world was about to turn upside down.

I was freaked out, I was so scared.

I introduced them into my life, invited them in.

Noelle's Stelling was heading back to California

after a dreamy weekend of romance in Atlantic City

with self-made music mogul Paul Kruger.

She was weighing his proposal

that they moved together to Florida.

As she left the Casino Hotel for the airport,

she checked her cell phone messages.

Strange, one was from a police detective in Pennsylvania.

Noelle called back right away

and suddenly the detective was peppering her

with information about Paul.

I'm freaking out, I'm freaking out.

Noelle was being told, Paul was an imposter.

I've got this police detective telling me

that this guy that I just spent three days with

is not who he says he is.

The cop revealed to Noelle

that Paul Kruger was at the center

of a police fraud investigation.

Dizzy with information overload, she hung up.

I immediately called the Sotterton Police Department back

just to make sure that that was really detective.

That was real, huh?

Because now I'm questioning everything.

The detective then told Noelle

a Maryland woman and her friends

had invested $60,000 with a man called Paul Kruger.

But after this Paul person disappeared,

the woman filed a complaint

and the information filtered down to police in Sotterton, PA.

While Noelle had been getting to know Kruger in person

as an easygoing companion

and Nicole in Florida was regarding him

as a friend and collaborator,

this Pennsylvania detective for weeks

had been compositing a completely different picture

of Great Catch 2008.

The detective had been the one to check out

that gym bag found in a local park.

And inside, along with what looked like a homeless person's junk,

was a document with a name on it, Paul Kruger.

We found a wire transfer that went to Costa Rica.

So if this is a homeless person's bag,

that's unusual, right?

Yeah, it didn't make sense.

What's a homeless person doing wiring it to Costa Rica?

Joe Kelly, then a detective was soured in PD

talked away that name in his memory

and checked the abandoned gym bag

into the police property room.

Then a few weeks later he came upon

a department to department request

for help in another case.

The one involving a Baltimore woman and her friends

stung for $60,000 by a scammer.

There was that same name, Paul Kruger.

Detective Kelly told the assistant DA at the time, Bob Sander,

that the name Kruger was worth checking out.

Did Jim Bagg, Paul, have something to do with $60,000 Fraud, Paul?

And we start to put two and two together

and at this time we realize we're on to something pretty big here.

So there's a light bulb moment here.

Wait a second, that name is the same name

that was on the receipts in that bag.

That's exactly it.

And then another case popped up,

yet another woman claiming she too

had been victimized by one Paul Kruger.

Her name is Jennifer Carey.

At the time a Texas-based QVC presenter,

Carey was that she, like Noelle,

also met Paul on MillionaireMatch.com.

She too had flown to Atlantic City to meet Paul

and tumbled into a relationship with him.

But then she got in a tussle with Paul over money

and she hired a private investigator after Kruger threatened her.

The PI made Kruger's threats a police matter.

This is the third time in weeks

you're hearing about a Paul Kruger?

Everything's coming together for us at this point.

We just knew that this was getting bigger and bigger by the day.

The assistant DA wanted to contact Kruger but came up blank.

Kruger seemed to have an address, only he didn't live there.

We found out his account numbers,

we found out rally information, things of that nature.

As police dug into Kruger's bank history,

the prosecutor was finding that Kruger

had already been arrested twice for theft.

And then it became clear to the investigators,

they were only finding the latest headlines

in a long career of deception.

We know this was the tip of the iceberg.

Bank records suggested that there were even more women

who'd been dragged into Kruger's deceit.

There appeared to be a fourth victim,

a woman who'd withdrawn money from her daughter's savings account

and had turned it over to Paul Kruger to invest.

And still more names would be added to the list of victims.

He normally didn't go for the Type A women.

He normally went for people who were more trusting and more caring.

What were they about?

Good people, mostly women who wanted to meet somebody.

They wanted to meet the man of their dreams.

Some were high society, some were just,

one was even just a single mother

who was looking for companionship.

Sander discovered Kruger met most of the women online

through the dating site, millionairematch.com,

using handles like Great Catch and I'm Ready Are You.

Using that old tuxedo photo,

he then slathered on his Grammy story

and dropped a galaxy of bold-faced names

who were also business partners.

Like an actor has lines.

He read a script and he knew what he was doing

and he didn't divert from that.

And they thought they were what,

buying into a guy who was going to come up

with the next Michael Jackson record?

Amongst other things, yes.

Investment pitches supported by pie charts and the like.

All fake, of course.

Spreadsheets, prospectus, various financial documents

showing what this company would do

and what it had done in the past.

And as the women's cash rolled in,

the prosecutor discovered Kruger wasn't shy

about playing to his victim's heartstrings.

Everyone we had spoken to thought that he was very smooth.

And he talked them into the bed in some cases, didn't he?

In some cases he had, he did.

He had romantic relationships with these women

and also physical relationships.

An extraordinary chain of crimes

was unfolding in Kruger's file.

How many victims, how much money?

13 victims total.

And with that mysterious wire transfer

to Costa Rica and perhaps other victims,

the prosecutor speculated the scam might run

to a quarter million dollars.

That's why we knew when this originally came in

that we were onto something bigger.

But an even bigger problem.

Just how would the assistant DA

find an arrest such an apparently sophisticated

con man with no fixed address?

No vehicle whose registration he could trace.

A man who seemed to live like his digital alter ego

inside the computer.

We originally knew that he was from Satterton, Pennsylvania.

We also knew that that's where these investors

were mailing their checks.

It was to the home of his ex-wife.

The problem was we also knew that he was,

it was his ex-wife and he was no longer living there.

Investigators learned Kruger visited his ex-wife

from time to time, picked up the checks, cashed them

and then vamoosed.

But to where?

A local park bench was one good guess

because it appeared Kruger was a homeless man.

We also knew from his ex-wife

that he had a gambling addiction.

Also, when we looked at his bank records,

we also saw various withdrawals in the Atlantic City area.

So Atlantic City seemed as good a place as any

for the assistant DA to start his manhunts.

Remember, the casinos were open 24x7.

So he always has a place to go at night.

He can sit at a blackjack table, a craps table,

a slot machine, he can do whatever he wants.

And that's just where Noelle Stelling was.

In Atlantic City, winding down her

Getting to Know You Weekend with Paul at the Casinos.

And hearing this all from the detective on the phone

for the first time.

The cops called her because they'd come across

her $10,000 check to Kruger in his bank account.

So headed for the airport, Noelle would have a lot to think about

on her long flight home to California.

That detectives unbelievable news.

And he's like, he's not the man you think he is,

he's a scam artist.

She had one last thing to do before getting on the plane.

She was going to call Paul directly

and find out just what the heck was going on.

In Atlantic City,

in Atlantic City,

in Atlantic City,

in Atlantic City,

in Atlantic City,

in Atlantic City,

in Atlantic City,

in Atlantic City,

in Atlantic City,

in Atlantic City,

in Atlantic City,

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I couldn't believe it.

I'm like, are you kidding me?

Noelle Stelling had just been told by a Pennsylvania detective

she'd been used by an ice cold Conman.

She got on the line to Paul Kruger.

Right away I said, why would a detective be calling me

in regards to you. What did you get me into? And I was really scared that maybe he got me involved

in something illegal. So you're saying what's the deal, dude? What's he saying back to you?

He's like, I don't know what you're talking about. He'll slow down, calm down. Who is this?

Who called you? He was very surprised, shocked. Paula Schurter, it was all just a big misunderstanding.

Noelle, getting wise to him, played along. I pretended that I was still on his side,

that I believed in him and hoped I'd get my money back.

Every time you think that you've seen it all, one more comes by and surprises you.

Five weeks after Noelle left Kruger in Atlantic City,

Bob Sander in the Montgomery County DA's office in Pennsylvania

was still shaking his head at the scale of Paul Kruger's scams.

He and officers across the state line in New Jersey

had come up with a plan to close the net around their missing con man suspect.

His bank withdrawals indicated that he spent a lot of time in Atlantic City,

but that was a big boardwalk. Kruger could be anywhere.

Two detectives were assigned to find him. So you're just making cold calls at the casinos.

The two of them were going casino to casino and calling me over the phone at the same time,

let me know what's going on and we're still looking for him.

Then Sander, the prosecutor, was dealt a lucky card.

Literally, a plastic one issued by the casinos.

It contained account information the cops needed.

When you go to gamble nowadays in order to get your comps,

you have a card with an account number.

And we knew that that was one way we're going to track them.

Making their rounds of Atlantic City's casinos,

the detectives arrived at Harris and hit the law enforcement jackpot.

That's where security staff noticed that Kruger had recently swiped his

members card in the High Rollers Lounge.

He was in the casino.

He was in the casino.

The detectives swooped down,

as Kruger sitting with his Laptop Computer nursed a soda.

He actually said he shouldn't order that second Coke.

After years of scamming, Kruger had finally been wrapped up

and was soon transferred back to Pennsylvania,

where he was charged and thrown in jail.

But as clear cut as the case against Kruger seemed to assistant DA Sander,

would he be able to make charges of fraud and theft stick

to a man who received checks in the mail from willing admirers?

And Sander wasn't sure he could bring in any witnesses to testify against Kruger.

Remember, these are women, most of whom were pretty sophisticated.

A lot of whom had relationships in high society,

a lot felt embarrassed once their name became public.

And imagine people are saying,

how could they have been so stupid as to write a total stranger in many cases,

a check for five grand?

And this individual knew how to prey on their weaknesses.

Do you think there are more?

Absolutely. We haven't been able to find them.

But he was good. He knew how to manipulate people.

Kruger, who'd scammed more than $100,000

out of at least 13 people from all over the country,

was facing at least seven years in prison.

If resufirmen, the district attorney at the time could persuade a judge.

Wasn't petty cash, but we're talking about 5,000, 10,000 here and there,

scattered in different states.

It didn't have to become a whole bring down the guy investigation, and it did.

I think it did have to be a bring down the guy investigation,

because he had done something like this before.

He was on probation for an earlier case.

He was systematically targeting women so that he could steal their money

and then brought other people into it.

So he stole a lot of money from people.

And you can't, as the DA, ignore that.

And in some cases join him in bed.

That's true too.

Even after he doesn't look like the webpage photo from 20 years before.

He's a homeless scam artist who's operating with a laptop on a park bench.

Go figure.

In a plea deal, Kruger pleaded guilty to theft,

and was handed a sentence of three to seven years,

and ordered to pay back the money to his victims.

It was about the money, but more so, it was his friendship.

And he just trashed it.

Absolutely.

But when all was said and done, there was still a big gap in this case.

Kruger hadn't been to court.

Hadn't been on the witness stand.

And so he hadn't told authorities his side of the story.

So apart from the fact that he was a convicted con man,

nobody seemed to know for sure how much of his story was true.

Dateline visited Kruger in prison in Somerset PA and heard his version.

This is a case about greed.

It's a case about trust.

And it's a case about vulnerability.

It's a case about believing in the fantasy,

and waking up to find the nightmare.

Paul Kruger, a self-styled music mogul,

turned out to be a homeless man with a laptop,

and some glib salesman skills.

But he was now in prison in Somerset PA,

where he'd served up to seven years.

Kruger chose to plead guilty rather than have his day in court.

So to this day, none of his victims, like Nicole and Noel,

know what's true and can only compare stories.

And he never mentioned anything about being in Scotland?

Yeah. Oh, he did?

Totally. He was there for like two, three months.

And he was only there for four weeks with me.

Clearly he told you things that he didn't tell me and vice versa.

And I'm like, how do you keep him straight?

He must have seriously had index cards.

I told him I had nothing.

I have nothing.

See, that's what's even worse.

He didn't care.

Oh, sweet.

Are you like really super upset about it?

I'm pissed.

Oh, you know what?

I'm mad at more because I was the last one.

Right.

And I'm like, how come you didn't nail this guy before I even met him?

While Noel and Nicole were putting together

the fragments of their stories,

Dateline visited Kruger in prison,

where cameras and other recording devices aren't permitted

and heard his side of the story.

Here's the scorecard near as we can figure out.

First, that musical career.

Kruger did take some music courses at the University of Miami,

but he never produced from Madonna, Beyonce, Usher,

or Michael Jackson, as he claimed.

Nor did he write and produce that personalized song for Noel.

As for the Castle in Scotland, it never happened.

Though he did record some Christian rock bands.

He says that he once had an audio-duplicating company

with some pharmaceutical companies' clients,

but a house fire and lack of insurance put an end to that venture.

He says his marriage failed,

and after another man moved in with his wife,

he ended up on the street and divorced.

The money he scammed allowed him to spend long hours at the gaming tables

and ensured he was comped with free rooms and food.

Other times though,

he'd stayed at cheap hotels or slept rough outside.

He admits he did leave that gym bag in the park.

And to fill in his days not gambling,

he spent hours online making Cyber dates,

logged in at libraries,

and sometimes the local Apple Store,

before MrMillionaire.com finally bought his own laptop.

Krueger told us in prison he never meant to steal the money outright.

He saw it simply as a loan,

until he could win enough money gambling to pay it back.

The cautionary tale is really that

you can't believe everything you see online.

So you develop perceptions and feelings about what you're looking at

and make judgments about it based on sometimes complete fantasy.

Noel, find some words, I'll offer you.

Anger, Humiliation.

He was becoming part of my existence,

my family, my friends,

and now I have to explain myself to all those people,

the people that I do love and trust,

and tell them what this guy did.

Great catch, 2008, friend of Quincy Jones

and producer of Michael Jackson.

Turned out to be a punchy, virtually homeless guy with a laptop.

Yes.

What did that tell you about your sensory apparatus for detecting creeps?

I'm a magnet for them.

It's an awful thing to happen.

It is, it's a terrible thing to happen.

Paul Krueger was released from prison in 2013,

after serving just over five years.

He has yet to pay much of the money back to his victims.

But in the end, it was a crime of the heart,

as much as a crime of the checkbook.

Copyright WDR 2020

Machine-generated transcript that may contain inaccuracies.