Christina LaBarbiera, a Christie’s Worldwide realtor from Bergen County, New Jersey is suing her ex-boyfriend Rob Harris, alleging he conned her out of greater than $70,000. He has not responded to her go well with or to The Put up. She tells her story to Jeanette Settembre.
He was my good match. Then he swindled me out of $71,640 — my life financial savings. Now I’m suing him for fraud.
After I matched on Hinge with Rob Harris, a blonde haired, blue-eyed 30-year-old actual property agent who labored at Actual Brokerage final April, he love bombed me.
He was an actual property agent from New Jersey, like me. He was very humorous, witty. We cracked jokes. He was mild hearted. A household man who beloved canines. Charming. Entrepreneurial.
His immediate that acquired me to message him on Hinge was: “I’ll fall in love with you should you make me snigger.” I responded, “That received’t be an issue.” I despatched him my quantity and we continued the dialog.
The chemistry was immediate and finally, we talked about shifting to Miami and placing a suggestion on a condominium.
We had been speaking all day continuous. About our jobs in actual property, about foolish nostalgic issues like “Sponge Bob.” I regarded him up to ensure he was an actual property agent. That checked out.
He informed me private issues about his life, he stated, “Just a few women I used to be speaking to had been bowled over by this, however I must inform you, a couple of yr in the past, I used to be recognized with cardiomyopathy, a thickened coronary heart wall.
“Simply so you recognize, some days I’m capable of rise up and go and different days I’m so exhausted as a result of I may very well be sitting nonetheless and my coronary heart is pumping at 150 beats per minute.”
My grandmother had one thing related. I wasn’t going to put in writing him off due to a coronary heart situation.
He was serving to pay his mother’s mortgage and taking good care of issues for his household as a result of his stepdad was having a critical again surgical procedure, he informed me. I assumed, “that’s actually honorable, he stepped as much as the plate as the opposite man within the household.”
We set a time to fulfill — he was going to drive into town. Then at 7 p.m. that evening I acquired an audio message saying: “Christina, I’m actually sorry. One thing is occurring on the hospital I would like to ensure my stepdad is okay. I’m actually sorry. I do see a future right here, please don’t be mad.”
I can’t be the a–gap and get mad at that.
I additionally had compassion for him and his scenario as a result of my mom had breast most cancers, kidney most cancers and a type of bone marrow most cancers within the span of three years. I needed to make a whole lot of concessions in my life. It was straightforward for us to attach on that stage.
He was sending me NYU Langone websites in regards to the surgical procedure — all the things he was saying was testing.
In Could, we lastly went out on our first date. Once we met, he opened the automotive door of his Tesla Mannequin 3 for me. I assumed, “What a gentleman.” We went to Catch Steak in Chelsea.
He was a really good dresser, carrying a black T-shirt and grey denims with a designer watch. He got here off as a really candy, nurturing man. After I met him in individual I used to be like, “He’s not simply good on the telephone, over textual content, he’s good-looking and we’ve got good dialog.”
On the date he stated to me that he deliberate to maneuver to Florida in October, and if this goes anyplace, is that one thing you’re open to? I stated it’s humorous, as a result of I’ve household down there, my finest good friend is down there, I trip as it’s. I used to be within the technique of getting a Florida actual property license. I used to be like, “yeah, that is synchronicity.”
Our first kiss was electrical. We talked till 3 a.m. that evening. He despatched me an audio message that stated, “I believe I met the love of my life.”
The subsequent month, he invited me to his good friend’s birthday dinner. We had been approaching the place and he stated, “I don’t wish to go. I simply wish to spend time with you, I haven’t seen you.” We had been proper in entrance of the restaurant. I assumed it was a little bit bizarre, however we went out for dinner blocks from the place.
He didn’t need any photos on social media as a result of he stated he wished to maintain our life personal as a result of when too many individuals know your corporation, it ruins a great factor.
On August 10, he requested me to Venmo him $501 to check if his Venmo works and promised to repay me.
Shortly after, we went to Miami the place we stayed on the W Lodge in Brickell. We had been each making use of for our Florida actual property licenses.
He informed me we’re going to have a future collectively. He was placing in a suggestion on a condominium in Aventura, Florida and informed me he stayed in Miami to work on constructing his actual property community.
On August, 21 he requested me for $1,310 to pay for a yacht constitution and a restaurant, to assist him construct an actual property community in Miami, which isn’t out of the atypical to spend on advertising.
He informed me he didn’t wish to present the lender how a lot he was spending whereas we had been making the provide on the Miami condominium — which added up.
Then, he requested me for $5,000 for an Airbnb and stated he would pay me again – he even despatched me his financial institution assertion exhibiting $720,000. He promised to offer me $10,000 in money the subsequent time we noticed one another.
I used to be getting nervous as a result of my financial savings began to dwindle.
Then he drops a bombshell on me, saying he owned a home with an ex-girl good friend. After they broke up issues acquired actually furry and at one level the police had been known as, he stated, and he or she was going to press expenses.
Then, an hour earlier than I used to be supposed to go away to fly right down to Florida I get a textual content from him saying, ‘Houston we’ve got an issue.’ He doesn’t reply the telephone. I’m texting him continuous. He sends me this lengthy textual content saying apparently this factor with an ex was by no means cleared up, and so they arrested me.
I stated, “Why do you continue to have your telephone? What do I do?” He stated he wanted bail. He requested me for $12,000. I wired him the cash.
It seems he was by no means arrested and the cash went to the Airbnb. I went to the police division in October, they stated mainly what you could have is bank card fraud.
After I tried to serve him the courtroom docs, I came upon he had been residing with one other lady in New Jersey the entire time. She stated he moved to Miami!
I’m extra cautious lately in the case of relationship. I’m single and haven’t been energetic on Hinge since this expertise. I’m assembly folks organically or by way of buddies.
I bear in mind watching the Tinder Swindler [Israeli conman Simon Leviev] documentary and each time he requested for cash he made himself sound like he was in peril and these girls had been doing no matter they may to assist.
He created urgency or chaos – Rob did the identical precise factor to me.