Texas Man Accused Of Posing As Bruno Mars, Stealing $100K In Catfish Scam

A Houston man appeared in court on Monday, February 8, night after he allegedly stole $100,000 as part of an elaborate catfishing scam.

In 2018, Chinwendu Azuonwu created an Instagram account as the pop star Bruno Mars, according to court documents. He used the fake account to contact a 63-year-old woman living in north Texas.

Azuonwu tricked the woman into believing that he was Mars and that he was in love with her. The woman told investigators that she thought it was really the singer because he sent her texts while he was on tour and told her that he wanted to quit touring to be with her.

The imposter then started asking the woman for money and convinced her to make a check out to a friend for $10,000 for "touring expenses." He later asked the woman to withdraw $90,000 from her bank accounts.

Azuonwu was charged with third-degree felony money laundering last month, KTRK reported.

The real Bruno Mars has been focusing on his rum brand and is still in a relationship with his longtime girlfriend Jessica Caban.

Photo: Getty Images