The Metropolitan Police Service, Thames Valley Police, and West Midlands Police collaborated to investigate career conman Paolo Aldorasi, 39, of Carnwath Road, Hammersmith and Fulham, following a series of identical offences in which Aldorasi approached and befriended young men before pressuring them to withdraw large sums of cash from ATMs.
He pleaded guilty to 15 counts of fraud by false representation at Southwark Crown Court and was sentenced to two years and nine months in prison on Tuesday, 21 June at the same court. Because of his early guilty plea, he received a reduced sentence.
At his sentencing, the judge described Aldorasi as “shameless” and a “confidence trickster” who left humiliation and misery in his wake. He also mentioned how many of Aldorasi’s victims are now ashamed, cynical, and distrustful of strangers.
The investigation into the London-based offences was led by Detective Constable Christine Metz of the Central West Command Unit. “Aldorasi is a career criminal who thinks nothing of using dishonesty to make a profit for himself, with no regard for the long-term impact his crimes have had on his victims,” she said. He has a history of convictions in the United Kingdom and the United States, and he is also known to Australian authorities for similar offences.” The young men who fell for his ruse have been deeply hurt, with some too ashamed and embarrassed to tell their families what had happened. It has had a significant impact on their confidence and ability to meet and trust new people. Aldorasi fully deserves a prison sentence for his impact on them.”
The series of frauds began on 17 June 2020 in Kensington Road W8, with additional reports coming in from London, Coventry, and Oxford until November 2021.
Each used the same technique. Aldorasi would approach a target on the street, usually a South East Asian man in his late teens or early twenties, and introduce himself as an Italian fashion designer.
He’d invite them into his expensive car and hand out clothing before telling them he’d gambled all of his money away the night before and needed a cash loan to pay for his car rental at the airport that afternoon.
He would harass and pressurise the victims, who were frequently newcomers to the country and inexperienced, before driving them to a cash machine.
Some would be confident that they would be reimbursed, while others were too intimidated by him to say no.
After that, Aldorasi would take the money and the victims would never see or hear from him again.
Following the first incident, two more reports were received, and an investigation was launched, with Aldorasi quickly identified as a suspect due to the identical method, physical descriptions of him, and a phone number he gave the victims that was traced back to him.
He was arrested for the London offences in November 2020 and released under investigation.
However, he went on to commit additional crimes in Oxford and, later, Coventry. Thames Valley and West Midlands Police officers were investigating those crimes when they learned about the London incidents and contacted the Met.
He was arrested again in January 2021 and released under investigation before returning to London to commit three more crimes in October and November 2021.
His actions had become more daring; whereas he would initially direct the victims to a cash machine while waiting nearby in his car, he would later get out and follow them, hovering around as they stood at the machine.
In one case in Kensington in October 2021, CCTV captures the victim entering £250 to be withdrawn before the watching party arrives. Instead, Aldorasi leans in and punches in £500. The victim enters the car and hands him the money before exiting. Then Aldorasi drives away.
Aldorasi was charged and remanded in custody until his trial in December 2021.
Detectives from the three force areas gathered a wealth of evidence, including the clothing items Aldorasi used to deceive the victims, witness statements, and CCTV footage of the crimes, leaving Aldorasi with no choice but to later change his plea to guilty.
The total amount taken was nearly £34,000, with victims handing over £500 to £8,000 at a time.
